Project Eden
by DarkUchiha18
Summary: 10 years after the war, Shepard and Liara still have not had their blue babies. When they are faced with the certainty of a human being their child, it will test the pair's resolve to become parents. Who is this human? Is she dangerous? Why is the council involved? Does Cerberus have a hand in this? More importantly, how did this human come to being asari/human/synthetic?
1. Chapter 1: Prologue (UPDATED)

_A/N: Doing a bit of an overhaul updating for this fan fiction. I hope this helps all of you to understand everything that's going on the story. Let me know what you think!_

 _Enjoy!_

 _-Eddy_

 **Chapter 1: Prologue (UPDATED)**

It all started with a simple respondent mission in the Terminus Systems. A distress call had been broadcasted into Council and Alliance Space, causing Admiral Hackett of the Systems Alliance to respond with sending the SSV Normandy to investigate the site.

Reviewing the data she had received from the Admiral, Captain Allison Elise Shepard of the Systems Alliance and first human SPECTRE, noted the only response to Alliance hails were only static followed by an explosion. The latter had caused such a report to head her way, she assumed.

Since the end of the Reaper war ten years prior to this mission, there hadn't been much going awry in the galaxy. Sure, there were your average criminal antics and the like but nothing this ominous. Considering all of these factors, Shepard was more than happy to take this on. She just wanted to see more action.

With her on the Normandy was the bulk of her original crew. Tali had decided to return to the ship joined with her beloved, Garrus. Joker returned without hardly any qualms, eager to return to the helm of his favorite ship. Kaiden had returned to his family shortly after the war and retired from active duty to pursue a new position as an instructor for the Alliance's biotics. However, he decided to come back to the Normandy using his own SPECTRE status after just five years of being a trainer.

Samantha Traynor decided to stay once the galaxy started to rebuild. After first finding the prospect of continuing her time with the Alliance a little daunting, she grew attached to her position. Leaving the revered crew had become her last thought.

Kenneth and Gabby left the crew shortly after the war to start a family and have since been replaced with equally experienced engineers. Although Engineer Adams could have stayed, he decided to retire shortly after the war. His position was eventually taken by Tali after she rejoined the crew. Dr. Karin Chakwas, although encouraged by the crew to retire, returned to the Normandy despite the reluctance of her old CO. And, although quite reluctant herself, Liara had decided to stay on the Normandy despite her wishes to settle down with Shepard after they married and bonded on Armali, Thessia and made a home at the T'Soni Estate.

Grunt decided to settle on Tuchanka after the war and has helped Wrex rebuild their armed forces, newly allied with the Galactic Council. The new ally having obvious intention of controlling what they could of the krogan within reason. Javik disappeared shortly after the war but had been found by the Shadow Broker's agents, under Liara's command, on Ilos. James joined the N7s, after passing each level, and eventually became a CO to his own crew and frigate. Miranda settled trials with the Alliance and became a leading Cybernetics Engineer in Alliance Space, with Oriana interning at her main office on Earth. Jack returned to Grissom Academy, unwilling to leave her teaching job behind, but stayed in contact with her "Cerberus Cheerleader".

All-in-all, Shepard was pleasantly happy with her crew and it had been smooth sailing ever since.

However, this was the first mission in many years that she felt would shake that up a bit.

After reviewing the data one last time, she headed up to the cockpit.

As she steps up to the window, she closely examined the docking bay. Indeed, there were no signs of any vessels except for the Normandy. "Someone had to have pulled the distress beacon at the station. Unless…" She says before noticing the slightly paler than normal face of her pilot. "…are you afraid of ghosts, Joker?"

"No, ma'am. Just curious how anyone could be on the station, is all." Joker responds with a nervous smirk. "Unless they magically manifested themselves, it's impossible that whatever is on that station is human. Or living." He explains before glancing at his Captain from the corner of his eyes. "Just saying."

"This station was abandoned before the final push during the war. Ten years ago." She tells him, knowing she wasn't helping Joker's nerves. She liked messing with him sometimes. "Who knows? Maybe someone colonized it in that time."

"That's highly unlikely, Shepard." Joker says, nervousness gone away. "I doubt Aria would've allowed that."

"It could just be a ghost, then."

"Oooh, I can feel the air getting colder already." Joker sarcastically remarks as the ship docks on the station. "Aaand, we're docked."

Garrus and Liara make their way to the airlock.

"Are we ready to go?" Shepard asks her two companions.

"Ready when you are, Shepard." Garrus responds.

She looks over to Liara in silent question. Liara, still a bit angry from their last discussion about settling down, just nods that she's ready. "Alright. Be ready for anything. We don't know what's on the station."

As they walk out onto the platform, the three look around the area. The station was small, but big enough to be a simple transport station. As expected, it looked to be completely deserted—as if no one had been there in years. The only thing that was blaringly obvious that someone had recently been there was the active distress beacon that was still buzzing through the halls.

"Do you really think there are going to be hostiles, Shepard?" Garrus wonders as he takes in his surrounding while they walk into the main area. "To be brutally honest here, I don't think we'll find anyone here."

"It would not hurt to check." Liara chimes in, causing Shepard to smirk at her turian friend, who silently relents.

As they got closer to the security doors, they noticed a trail of dark red blood.

"Someone _is_ here." Shepard hisses as she cautiously starts following the trail with Garrus and Liara behind her. As she opens the door to the darkened security room, she calls, "Hello?" Through the static flashing room light, she follows the trail of blood leading to a much bigger pool of blood. At the end of the trail was a young woman with white hair and pale white skin almost as white as the hospital gown-like single piece of clothing, soaked a dark red from her own blood.

Without delay, Shepard and Liara head straight to her side. With Shepard scanning her body for injuries and Liara checking for a pulse, while Garrus disarmed the beacon. "She's alive." Liara says as she finds the pulse. Shepard finishes her scan, sending it to Dr. Chakwas.

"She has a few internal injuries as well as a few bullet holes." Shepard says as she hoists the young frail woman into her arms and stands up. She couldn't help wondering what had to have come about to such a young individual. Her best guess was that this girl in her arms was just barely an adult, if that. "Let's get her back onto the Normandy." She says as she makes long strides towards where they came onto the station from.

She heard her companions speculating what happened, but given that the evidence was pretty vague and the only evidence of a struggle was the beacon itself, they couldn't know exactly what happened. There wasn't a single bullet shell, not a single dent in the metal walls, and absolutely no clear sign of how she even got there in the first place.

There were more questions that needed answers, with only one way to know for sure what had occurred on that station; an unconscious, bloodied, young woman. A young woman who made her feel the need to protect, as if there was something more to her.

She just needed to make sure the white-haired frail woman in her arms would wake up to tell the tale of what happened. And get the questions she had answered.

 _A/N: This is a rewrite of chapter 1. I hope it's a better version. (Uploaded 7/17/2018)_


	2. Chapter 2: Intro to Eden

**A/N: This chapter skips between the points of views of Eden, to Shepard and Liara. I have marked these areas, so I hope it doesn't confuse anyone. Future chapters will likely NOT have this kind of format.**

 **I hope you will enjoy reading! ^_^**

 **-Eddy**

Chapter 2: Introducing Eden

My back is stiff, leaning against something long and flat. The echo of voices surrounding me numbs me with nervousness. Until I hear, "…rapid eye movement is normal—wait, I think she's waking up." Slowly, I feel and hear feet shuffling. "Heart rate is increasing. Commander, I don't think—" The voice continues and I feel my eyes open. Surrounding me are white tables big enough to hold a single person each. The room is grey with metals and the only other color being the white tables. Three people stand beside me as I continue to study the room. This is some kind of hospital room. _Wait, this can't be-_ Quickly, as a hand touches my arm, I feel myself jump out from wherever I am and hit a wall in front of me.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down." A woman says and I feel her calmly walking up to me. "We didn't mean to scare you." She says as I notice my reflection in a metal object. My body is glowing a bright blue. Then, I turn myself around to face her. Two human women and a—an alien. While the two human women look somewhat normal, the alien—a blue female body with, what looks like tentacles for hair slicked back. The woman in front of me has bright red-colored hair and bright green piercing eyes, and wearing a black and red metal uniform of sorts. The other woman, on the other hand, is older-looking—compared to the woman in front of me—and has grey-colored hair. "You sure she's still alive in there, doc?" The woman in front of me asks as she studies me.

"She's probably frightened, Commander. I would be too if the first person I saw when I woke up was you." The doctor says, an obvious joke.

"Who are you?" I hear myself ask. "Where am I?"

"We'll answer your questions when you answer ours." The woman in front of me says. Then, I slowly nod. "Good." She says and steps back, giving me a longer distance between her. "Who are you?"

"I don't know." I say and she sighs with a small, disappointed, smile.

"Commander—" The blue alien says as she reaches out to the red-haired woman.

"How about where you're from?" The older woman asks and a sudden vision, or memory, of a tropical planet with monkey-like creatures flashes like pictures in my mind. Suddenly, the name of this planet echoes. I don't question it, and let the words form.

"Eden…Prime?" I ask and feel the tension in the room become more intense.

"You're not in any of the colony databases." The older woman says and I look down. "I checked your DNA and compared it to every person in every colony I could manage. I never found a match."

"Ask for a missing persons report." The red-haired woman says and the older woman laughs.

"Already did." The older woman says and stands up with a clip-board-like object. Then, she hands it to the other woman. Suddenly, I notice the blue alien watching me closely. Quickly, and nervously, I look back at the women.

"That's not possible." The red-haired woman says, nearly breathlessly, and she looks up at me. "What do you remember from Eden Prime?"

"Sand, blue water, mountains…" I say and the vision of a grey—metal building fills my mind. "A…metal building."

"That doesn't sound like Eden Prime to me, but…That can't be Virmire. Can it?" The blue alien asks as she looks at the red-haired woman.

"No, we destroyed that research facility years ago…along with most of that island." The red-haired woman says and looks at me as she crosses her arms. "It looks like we just got a new mission, and a new friend—for now, at least." She says and smiles curiously at me. "Now, what should we call you?"

"Well, she doesn't look like an Ellie, Jane, or Mira." The older woman says.

"How about Eden?" The blue alien asks and I look at her. I notice the red-haired woman smile.

"Yeah…I was thinking the same thing." The red-haired woman says—either quick to agree or she doesn't actually care—and I start looking at each of them. "That's Liara T'Soni." She says as she points at the blue alien. "And Dr. Karin Chakwas." She continues as she points to the older woman. Then, she holds out a hand. "I'm Commander Shepard of the Normandy, Alliance navy." She says and I feel compelled to grab her hand. In comparison to her hand, mine is a lighter shade of her color. I'm human. "Welcome aboard, Eden."

"We should probably let the crew know that we have a new resident, Commander." Dr. Chakwas says as I notice her tapping on the glowing clip-board-like object. "While you brief everyone, I'll outfit our new guest with clothes other than…well, you know." She says and I look down. I'm wearing all white, but I don't see anything wrong with what I'm wearing.

"Yeah, we should probably have her wearing a more friendly-looking outfit." Commander Shepard says and smiles at Dr. Chakwas. "White is good, but black and blue is better."

"I couldn't agree more, Commander." Dr. Chakwas says and Commander Shepard lets go of my hand.

"We'll be back. Dr. Chakwas will take care of you." Commander Shepard says as she looks at me, then she looks at Liara T'Soni and starts walking out. "This should be interesting."

After a moment, I hear the doctor rummaging through boxes. "I think most of these are too big or too small." She says and eventually lifts a pair of black and blue pants and shirt. "Try these on in the back." She says and points me to a room behind her. Slowly, I walk inside. The door closes behind me.

 ** _-Crew Deck, Commander Shepard and Liara T'Soni-_**

"This is impossible, Liara." Shepard says with a scowl. "That can't be…our daughter. She's…"

Liara laces her fingers with Shepard's. "We knew we were going to have children someday, Shepard."

"Yeah. Asari children, not human children." Shepard says as they reach the elevator.

"You said you wanted to wait." Liara says with a sly chuckle.

"Yes…" Shepard sighs. "…I did."

"Remind me why that is?" Liara asks with slightly narrowed eyes and an expectant smile.

Shepard rolls her eyes and rests a hand against her face. "I wanted to retire from the Alliance before we started a family." She says and smiles painfully. "I guess I have no choice now. She tested positive as our child. TEN TIMES." She says the last part through her teeth. Liara rests her head against Shepard's shoulder. "What are we going to do?"

"She is our daughter, Shepard." Liara starts. "So, we will take care of her."

"You're not mad that she's not blue?" Shepard asks as she slowly rubs Liara's arm.

"No." Liara says and turns her head slightly to look into Shepard's eyes. "I'm not mad."

"We can still have our blue babies, Liara. I promise you." Shepard says and they draw into each other for a long, passionate kiss.

"I'll have to hold you to that." Liara smiles as the elevator opens, then they part slightly to walk to the war room.

"Hey, I keep my promises. Don't I?" Shepard remarks.

 ** _-Eden, Med Bay-_**

Minutes later, I put a hand up to the door to knock—as if to let the doctor know I was done. My new clothes feel baggy, but somewhat comfortable. The boots she gave me are slightly bigger than my foot size, but not uncomfortable. The door opens before I can knock.

"Looks good, but you might want to tuck in your shirt." Dr. Chakwas says, making me confused. "Here. Allow me." She says and carefully grabs my shirt, then guides the ends down the sides of my pants.

"Why does my shirt need to be 'tucked in'?" I ask, repeating the words she used, and she looks at my face as if I said something strange.

"It's a custom here, dear." She says and sighs. "The Normandy is an Alliance navy frigate. Military." She explains, but I still don't understand. "Soldiers, trained to fight, occupy this vessel."

"Why do you need to fight?" I ask and she lets out an exhausted laugh.

"That's an excellent question." She says and I can tell that she doesn't plan on answering me any time soon. Then, she stands up straighter. "All done." She says and I look down at my new clothes. The shirt doesn't seem as baggy anymore.

"Thank you." I say and she smiles at me, before sitting at a desk.

"Go ahead and sit down, Eden. It may take a few minutes before the commander comes back." She says and I look around me, then decide to take a seat in a lone chair across from the doctor.

 _ **-War Roo**_ ** _m-_**

Kaiden, Garrus, Tali, and Traynor patiently wait for Shepard and Liara.

As the two walk into the room, they both look anxious and slightly nervous. They were going to have to break the news to them about their _human_ child. "Shepard. You called all of us here. As far as we know, the war ended ten years ago, so..." Kaiden asks and Shepard motions for Liara to join them.

"It's about our new guest." Shepard starts. "It's been nearly four days since she boarded the Normandy, but Dr. Chakwas has made…quite the discovery."

"Excuse me, Commander?" Traynor interjects.

"Yes, Traynor?" Shepard responds.

"Does this 'discovery' have anything to do with our 'guest's physical state?" Treynor asks. "Her injuries were quite substantial, as I recall."

"Actually, yes and no." Shepard smiles and looks down to the railing in front of her. As her smile slightly fades, she looks to Liara—who nods, giving Shepard the 'okay' to share the information. Shepard looks up again to her team mates. "Liara and I have agreed to call our 'guest' Eden." She starts as she stands straighter. "Eden has recovered, mostly, and is going to be staying with us for a very long time." She continues as the team, excluding Liara, looks dumbfounded.

"Shepard, you're not seriously suggesting that Eden will be a part of the crew?" Tali asks and Shepard smiles.

"I am." Shepard answers.

"You've got to be kidding! She's a child!" Garrus shouts.

"According to Dr. Chakwas, Eden is biologically eighteen years old, Garrus." Shepard says and clears her throat. "Also, Eden is…and, I don't know exactly how it happened…me and Liara's daughter."

The group takes a moment of silence before someone opens their mouths to speak. "What? How is that even possible?" Kaiden asks and Shepard smirks. "She's biologically eighteen years old? There's a pretty sizable age gap there."

"I have no idea how Eden came to be, but I intend to find out." Shepard replies.

"So, Eden shares yours and Liara's DNA?" Traynor asks.

"How do we know that she's not dangerous?" Kaiden asks with his arms crossed. Shepard glares at him. "She was obviously engineered somehow, and if you really don't know how she was…created, that means she could have parts that you don't know about."

"This sounds just like something Cerberus would do." Tali says and Shepard glares at her.

"The Illusive Man, Jack Harper, was died ten years ago during the war. There's no possible way Cerberus is responsible." Liara explains. "Unless Miranda had something to do with this."

"No. Miranda and Oriana are working with the Alliance to produce the same cybernetics that they implanted in me." Shepard explains. "They have evidence that they haven't left their posts since being signed onto the Alliance." She smiles as she looks around the room. "I know all of this is sudden, but…why don't you meet her? Eden is awake in the Med Bay as we speak. I can bring her back here."

"Does she have any other surprises…you know, besides her being your daughter?" Garrus asks.

"It seems that Eden is a biotic." Shepard replies. "So, how about it? She's shy, but I can bring her to meet all of you."

Tali crosses her arms. "I'd like to see for myself if this Eden looks anything like you."

"I agree." Traynor says with a smirk. "Out of curiosity, of course."

"Any objections?" Shepard asks and is greeted with silence. "Okay. I'll be back with our new member."

 ** _-Eden, Med Bay-_**

Not too long after I've been sitting down, Commander Shepard walks into the room. "Good news; the crew wants to meet you." She says and examines me with her eyes. "You look decent enough. The clothes are a little big on you, though."

"I apologize, Commander. It seems it was this or something that would have been much smaller." Dr. Chakwas says. _Why is she apologizing?_

"Don't worry about it. She looks good." The Commander says and grabs my arm, forcing me to stand up. "Well, better than the first day she was here anyway."

"I couldn't agree more, Commander. Just try to keep an eye on her. If she over-exerts herself, I foresee her needing to return to me. " Dr. Chakwas says as Commander Shepard guides me out of the room.

As she guides me through the halls, I notice other people staring at us.

When we reach our destination, she drops my arm. "Are you sure about this, Shepard?" A man asks we enter the room. A tan-skinned woman eyes me with curiosity.

"She's not a threat to any of us, Kaiden." Commander Shepard says as we stop in front of a group of people. Liara T'Soni, a man with tanned skin and slicked back black hair, an alien who looks almost lizard-like, and another alien wearing purple who hides under a mask.

"Right now, no, but you can't see the future. She could turn on us." The man, Kaiden, says as I continue to stare at everyone.

"Eden?" Commander Shepard says and I look at her. "Tell us now. Are you a threat to any of us on board this ship?"

"I don't think so…" I say, nervous that I might anger these people.

"You don't _'think'_ so? What's that supposed to mean?" The alien wearing a mask asks. I feel my heart start to beat faster and my legs slightly shake as I look down in front of me—chin to my chest.

"Tali." Commander Shepard says and I feel a hand on one of my shoulders. "You're scaring her." She says and looks back at me. "It doesn't seem like she knows who any of us are."

"It also seems as if she's never seen aliens before." Liara T'Soni says and the commander steps away from me slightly. "I think I might have frightened her when she woke up."

"Asari are a dominant species in the galaxy. They're nearly everywhere you go. How could she not have seen at least one before now?" The tan-skinned woman says and I let myself look back.

"If she hasn't seen asari before…then, she probably hasn't seen other species." The lizard-like alien says.

"That's impossible. We're in outer space. She must have had plenty of chances to see the different species in the galaxy by now." Kaiden says as I look at him.

"What's the last thing you remember before waking up?" Commander Shepard asks and I look back at her. A vision of walking on a platform fills my mind. I was calm, I heard someone shooting a gun, then I ran. There was an explosion, another gun shot. The next thing I knew, I was unconscious.

"Someone was running after me…I don't think I got away." I say and put a hand over my stomach, where I had been bandaged.

"Is that all?" The commander asks with a slight laugh.

"It was more than one person chasing me…there was gunfire and an explosion…then I woke up." I say and hear a sigh.

"That's pretty vague, kid." The lizard-like alien says.

"Well, it's more than we had four days ago." Commander Shepard says and looks at me. "Eden, these are my friends." She says and starts pointing to the people I don't know. "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Garrus Vakarian, Samantha Traynor, and Kaiden Alenko." She says as each person either glares at me or waves a hand slightly. "They won't hurt you."

"So…I hear you're a biotic." Kaiden says and Commander Shepard quickly looks at him.

"I'm sorry?" I ask, confused. I've never heard that term before now.

"You may need to dumb it down for her. It seems like everything is still quite new." Garrus says.

"A biotic…um, how should I put it?" Kaiden says and I instantly feel the tension in the room. "You're body glows blue and you feel a rush of adrenaline—er, energy. You can effect time and space with it."

"Every biotic is different, but I've never encountered one with your capabilities." Liara T'Soni says. "I'm not sure of what else you're capable of, but I assume that you're not just an average Adept."

"I think I…understand." I say, honestly, and she smiles. I don't think she's that scary anymore. Different, yes, but not scary. Suddenly, I notice the commander looking at me and Liara T'Soni. She's smiling, but it's a different kind of smile from earlier. It's warmer.

"Well, I think—now that we've all had the chance to get acquainted—I should inform the Admiral of our new crew member." Commander Shepard says and she pats me on my back. It must be a friendly gesture, since she was smiling at me when she did it. "Liara, will you watch her for me while I take care of a few things?" She asks as she looks forwards.

"I will." She says and walks up to us.

"Good. Everyone is dismissed." The Commander says and everyone slowly walks away. As I watch the commander walk into a room ahead of us, Liara T'Soni walks slightly past me.

"Follow me." She says and, after looking back at Commander Shepard, I silently follow close behind her.

She guides me to a room with many computer monitors on a wall and a computer set in the middle. Curious, I examine the room with my eyes. Then, I see a lone—very small—computer next to the door. It beeps suddenly, but it doesn't scare me. Suddenly, as my hand lowers to touch the computer, I notice that Liara T'Soni is watching me. Closely. "I'm sorry…" I say and turn back to her. Apparently, I was so curious about everything that I didn't notice I had turned away from her completely. She smiles.

"No. It's all right." She says and I continue to walk into the room. I notice another computer and a room with some kind of furniture. A long pillow-like chair on one end and a matching smaller pillow-like chair sit on opposite ends of the small room. In the center is a bigger, softer version of the bed from the doctor's room. "You have never seen any of this before. Have you?" She says as I realize that she had been following me around the room.

"I'm not sure." I say and turn to look at her. "Did I do something wrong?" I ask as I think back to the meeting with the commander's crew.

"No. You did nothing wrong." She says and gestures for me to sit.

Before I sit down, I eye the look of the long soft chair. Could it be firm or so soft that I might fall through? Before turning to sit, I push down on it. As I thought, it is firmer than it looks. When I turn around to sit, I notice that Liara T'Soni looks uncomfortable. It was as if she were holding her breath. Slowly, I sit down as I see her sit down on the smaller chair. "Is something wrong?" I ask, confused at her behavior.

"No. Nothing is wrong." She says as she holds a hand up to her face. I see her smiling. "You just seem so curious. I thought that was, as Shepard would say, 'cute'." She continues and pulls out a glowing clip-board-like object. The, she starts tapping on it. Then, in a robotic voice, and orb starts talking as it approaches me. "Eden, this is Glyph."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The orb says and spins with happiness.

"Glyph assists me with my duties here on the Normandy." Liara says.

"It's a computer?" I ask as I examine the orb.

"Not exactly. Glyph is a VI info drone." She explains. "But, I see the connection you made."

"Why do you need four computers?" I ask and she laughs softly.

"We do not use the term 'computer', these are terminals." She says and I continue to look at Glyph.

"I remember talking to a VI." I say and the flash of memory from inside a darkened room quickly grabs my attention. "It wanted me to learn…but, I didn't want to." I hear myself say and see myself running from a bigger terminal.

"What did it want you to learn?" She asks and I shake my head.

"I don't remember." I say and the VI in front of me starts moving around me. "Glyph, do you share information?" I ask the orb.

"Only at the discretion of Dr. T'Soni." It responds.

"Okay." I agree with it and it spins happily. Then, I hear a door slide open. Quickly, I look over to see Commander Shepard walking slightly faster than when she guided me through the ship to meet the crew.

"Shepard!" Liara says and stands up. "What did Admiral Hackett say?"

"We can't pursue those scumbags just yet." The commander says as I'm preoccupied with Glyph. For just a VI, it seems excited to see the commander. "We have to wait until we know more. For now, it's business as usual." She says and I hear footsteps walking towards me. "I see you've made a new friend." She says and I look up at her. I notice that my hand is reaching out to the VI and quickly pull my hand away.

"I just started introducing her to Glyph when you walked in." Liara says and Glyph moves towards her.

"I know it hasn't been that long since you woke up…" The commander says and sits next to me. "…but, how are you feeling? Tired? Restless?"

"I think she's more curious than anything else, Shepard." Liara says and the commander smiles.

"I guess she was bound to take after one of us." The commander says and looks at Liara. "Although, I'm surprised that she's human and not asari."

"Shepard. I don't know if now's the right time to tell her."

"She'll find out sooner or later. I'd rather that it be sooner. And by _us_." The commander says and looks into my eyes. "I don't know how it happened, Eden…but—You're our daughter."


	3. Chapter 3: Untitled

Chapter 3

" _Eden…you're our daughter." Shepard says as she studies Eden's expressions. The smile on the seemingly cheerful young adult had quickly vanished—replaced by the look of shock. Eden was completely stoic._

" _Shepard." Liara says with concern. Eden's eyes were narrowed as her pale face began to become paler. They couldn't discern what was going on in the mind of their new-found daughter._

" _Please say something." Shepard pleas as a slight panic sets in. Will Eden accept them as her parents? She's biologically eighteen years old. She could reject them—easily. They had not been in however long Eden's life had been so far. She had the right to ask questions. Shepard and Liara were prepared to answer in the best way they possibly could that they never knew about the existence of her. Eden's face slowly relaxes as she closes her eyes. "Eden?"_

 _Shepard and Liara anxiously wait for several moments until Eden opens her eyes again. She closely examines the worried expressions of the two._

 _Eden noted that Liara T'Soni and Commander Shepard had the faint look of worry masked under the anticipation for an answer. She didn't feel nervous in the slightest. She was still in shock, and amazement, but she didn't fully understand what they meant when they called her their daughter. "What should I say?" She asks without emotion. The bitter unspoken meaning behind those words sinking into the worried faces of the two. Seeing their distress, Eden asks, "What do you mean? I do not understand."_

" _Eden, we are your parents." Liara clarifies._

 _After an eerie moment of silence, Eden responds with a cold, "I have no parents"._

 _-XXXXX-_

It had been a week since Eden was introduced to the crew. Even though she was accepted as a new crew member of the Normandy, she was still under the careful observation of Liara and Dr. Chakwas while Shepard was still out doing her job every day.

Thanks to the combined efforts of Shepard and Liara, Eden managed to come to an understanding of various vocabulary terms for daily life on the ship. She was uneducated about mundane things, such as; what a couch was, what a data pad is, and how to hold silverware when eating. Among various other things she learned was that she was considered a guest on the Normandy, not exactly a crew member. Because of this, she knew the reason behind this designation was because of the crew's apprehension of her. She had never thought of actually causing harm to anyone on the Normandy, but they wouldn't just simply understand that. She had to prove herself.

Eden cautiously made an effort to get comfortable around Liara and Shepard. With each and every night she has spent on the Normandy, she had woken up from intense nightmares. Terrible nightmares of her time before boarding the Normandy. All of her nightmares were of her strapped down onto an operation table with several human doctors surrounding her in their white lab coats and masks. Each time she would have these nightmares, she would wake up breathing heavily and shaking with fear. Her two "parents," as they called themselves, had never seen her wake up from the nightmares.

Liara and Shepard had agreed to allow Eden to sleep in Liara's cabin while they slept in the Captain's cabin. Each morning, Liara and Shepard would greet Eden in Liara's cabin—always awake and stoic. When they would ask Eden what was wrong, considering that she might have been awake for several hours, she replied with shaking her head "no".

The two couldn't blame Eden for wanting to stay secretive. She was dragged into this life, whether she wanted it or not. Shepard and Liara wanted to trust the young adult, but they couldn't. Not yet.

Even though Eden was without a doubt their daughter, they had no information about her other than the positive paternity tests. How did she come to be? Why was she created? Who created her? Why hadn't they known of her existence?

They asked the human in question, but received only more questions. Eden had no idea who they were. Or, at least, she was pretending not to. They didn't know.

They still don't know. Even after a week of observing Eden's behavior.

-Present Day, Liara's Cabin-

Eden, a seemingly smart and curious young adult, sits silently occupied in Liara's cabin. She was reading from a data pad that Liara gave her early that morning. It was about humanity and the galaxy. Also, it shared basic information about the galaxy's many races. Eden was surprisingly more interested in this kind of information than building the relationship between her and her newfound parents. In fact, she seemed to have no interest in building any kind of relationship with anyone on board the Normandy.

As she continues to work on Shadow Broker related material, Liara considers how she finds it curious that, although Eden looked strikingly similar to Shepard, she had her own unique features. Eden has pale skin, one deep blue-colored eye and one bright emerald eye, her hair was almost completely white with a single thin deep red colored stripe on the right side of her right eye (while facing her) that curved down behind her ear towards her neck—similar to a tattoo, the marking was flesh with her skin. Eden looked odd, but naturally odd.

Although she looked like a young adult on the outside, Eden had times when she seemed older—more mature. However, most of the time, Eden seemed like a curious child—wanting to learn about everything that was new to her. A perfect split personality between the two parents. So perfect that it almost seemed like she was trying to mimic her and Shepard.

While Eden was unconscious, before she first met everyone, Dr. Chakwas had determined that Eden was without a doubt Shepard and Liara's child. They had time to consider the possibility that Eden was a product of some kind of experiment, although highly probable, they had no proof. However she was conceived was definitely done without discretion. Neither Liara nor Shepard knew she even existed until they found her unconscious inside a transport station in the Terminus Systems.

She was alone when they found her and badly injured—likely the cause for her unconsciousness. Eden even confirmed the worst. Someone was chasing her. _What for?_ Someone had hired mercenaries to kill her. _But why?_ Someone wanted her dead. _**Why?**_ Someone left her, alone, and lying in her own cold blood. _**WHY?**_

Caught up in her own thoughts, Liara sighs as she looks around the room with a slight turn of her head. Eden was still where she left her. She was calmly sitting on Liara's bed, still reading from the data pad. She was calm and showed no sign of being agitated. A thought crosses her. Eden knew how to read and speak properly. Who taught her? From what Eden has managed to remember of her life before the Normandy, it seems as though she never had the experience. She proved that when she wasn't familiar with other species than humans. And yet, she was fairly intelligent for having such a past.

After Shepard told Eden about the fact that she and Liara were her parents, Eden seemed indifferent. It was as if she didn't understand the meaning or the significance of being called a 'daughter'. She didn't even start calling them by their preferred names. They were still Commander Shepard and Liara T'Soni. Shepard tried to get Eden to call her "Shepard," but Eden replied back emphasizing the word "commander". For Liara, on the other hand, Eden refuses to even call her by name. Could this just be a retaliation of sorts? Was this Eden's way of rejecting them? Even though they just met, why can't they at least be a little informal with each other? Whether or not any of them accepted the idea, they were a family.

"Eden?" Liara asks calmly as she walks towards the bed. Eden slowly looks up at her.

"Yes?" Eden asks, stoically.

"Are you hungry? I thought maybe we could eat together?" Liara asks and Eden nods. Liara watches as Eden slowly stands up as she lays the data pad on the bed almost robotically. Then, they silently make their way into the mess hall.

Eden had gotten used to the atmosphere, although she seemed as though she was still unsure of everything. The people—especially the human crew—seemed to make Eden the most nervous. "Stay here. I'll be back in a bit." Liara says as Eden sits down at a table.

"Okay." Eden says with a slight nod. Slowly, Liara walks towards the kitchen. More interesting to Liara was that, out of every dish she made for Eden so far, Eden seemed to favor asari foods over human foods. She seemed so distant to Liara, but started to embrace asari culture wholeheartedly—even if it was just food. The best part about this secret that she uncovered was that Eden had no idea and never questioned what the food was. It was a small bit of acceptance, but it was progress nonetheless.

When Liara returns to where she left Eden, she notices that Eden seems lost in thought. Carefully, Liara sets down the two plates and sits across from Eden. "Eden, is everything all right?" Liara asks and Eden slowly looks up at her and nods.

"Yes…thank you." Eden says with an almost shaken voice. Is she nervous? Or, could she be feeling sick? She hasn't expressed anything like this before.

"How has your studying been?" Liara asks and slowly grabs at a fork next to her plate.

"Good. I've managed to finish reading the information you gave me…four times today." She says and Liara's eyes grow wide. She had just given Eden the data pad this morning. It had several pages of text and some pictures. It would have taken her the entire day to read through it twice. Then, a thought comes to mind. _Maybe a short quiz is needed to see if Eden is actually comprehending the reading._

"Okay…Eden, what are the races that represent the Galactic Council?" Liara starts off with an easy question.

"Human, salarian, turian, and asari." Eden says quickly as she looks up at Liara.

"Correct. What is the purpose of having a Galactic Council?" Liara asks, hoping for more than just a list. This was something that was gradually covered throughout the reading material. If Eden knew this answer, then she must be much smarter than she looks.

"The council poses as somewhat of a diplomatic peace giver of the galaxy." Eden starts as Liara calmly listens. "Each councilor represents their species as the voice of their people. They always try to maintain a tranquil peace between the other races, while also respecting their own species interests." Eden says and takes a deep breath, as if to compose herself. Liara calmly nods, as if to tell Eden to continue. "Together, the council acts as somewhat of the law of the galaxy. Overseeing diplomatic disputes and politics, while also determining the course of action to take with galactic legal matters." Eden says and Liara gives her a calm smile.

"All correct." Liara says and Eden's eyes grow wider as her cheeks start turning a light red. Then, bashfully, Eden looks down at the plate in front of her. Liara could make out a smile. She smiles back.

Suddenly, Kaiden rounds the corner of the table. "Hey, kid." He says as Eden's smile fades quickly. Liara lets out a quite sigh of defeat as Eden tries not to look at Kaiden.

"Is there something you needed, Kaiden?" Liara asks and Kaiden smiles.

"Just checking in." He says and Liara looks stunned as Eden makes the effort to look up at Kaiden. "How are you?"

"I'm…fine." Eden stutters as she looks flustered.

"You don't need to be scared." Kaiden says and bends down onto a knee by the table so he's looking up at Eden, hoping that the change of angle would help to ease her fear. "We're all friends here."

The memory from a nightmare Eden had been having since the first night on the Normandy replays in her mind:

 _Several human doctors wearing white lab coats and a blurred black and white symbol on their chests surround Eden as she's lying down, strapped down on an operating table. Tubes trailing from various parts of her body send sporadic signals of pain and discomfort. The doctors were talking amongst themselves, as if she wasn't there to hear them. She feels herself speak, but can't hear the words. The doctors just look at her and laugh. Her world is painted with red as her chest rises violently._

"I'm sorry." Eden says and looks slightly away with her eyes. "Humans are…" She sighs as she closes her eyes. Kaiden looks at Liara as she nods, expecting to allow him to hear the voice he's managed to coax out of Eden. "I do not remember meeting a kind human…before I came onto the Normandy."

"What do you mean?" Kaiden asks and Eden's eyes open slightly. "What experience with humans have you had?"

 _The image of the doctors, now wearing masks and gloves, stand over Eden's weak body. There was no need for her to be secured to the operating table anymore. Her body was numb, but she was wide awake. The doctors periodically look to her as her breath quickens. "Can we apply the sedative now?" One of the doctors, a woman, asks with desperation. "Does she really need to be awake for this?"_

" _Yes." A male doctor says as he turns to face Eden—looking into her eyes. "Harper confirmed that it is necessary for the new, special, implants to join to her consciousness."_

" _She's just a kid." The woman protests and turns to face Eden. "Even Lawson couldn't do this, and she opted for a control chip to be placed into Shepard." She continues and the man stops to lay his tools down and take his gloves off. "What does that say about us, Doctor? How low have we gone to do this to a child?"_

" _Harper wants her to be flawless." He growls and looks at Eden angrily, disdain in his eyes. "Even if we had to build her from the ground up."_

Eden's breath quickens as Kaiden and Liara look worried. "Eden, what's wrong?" Kaiden asks and Eden holds her head in her hands.

"The…doctors…" Eden says and the words ring out like a gun shot, striking the pair's ears with the hint of fear. "…they wouldn't…stop." She says as Liara notices tears streaming down her face. Eden was panicking.

"Eden, it's okay." Liara says as Kaiden quickly moves out of the way. "No one is going to hurt you." She says and quietly rubs Eden's back to comfort her.

"How…do you know?" Eden asks with disbelief and Liara hugs her.

"I know because Shepard and I will not allow anyone to hurt you." Liara says and Eden hugs her back. "You are safe here."

While this was happening, Shepard was standing in the hallway listening to every word. In order to keep her composure, she had to keep a hand to her face. She wanted to curse these doctors that were mentioned for making her daughter fear humanity. She wanted to chase down the ones responsible and beat them into nothing. She wanted revenge, but she also wanted her daughter to be happy and proud to be a Shepard—a human. How could she do that when she fears humanity? Does that mean that Eden is scared of her too?

"I'm sorry." Eden breaks the silence. Kaiden smiles at her weakly as Liara pulls away. "I'm not sure…that I can trust you yet."

"No. It's okay." Kaiden says and stands up. "I understand." He smiles with content for getting Eden to actually talk to him. Then, he leaves. When he passes Shepard, his smile fades.

Shepard lowers her hand and calmly rounds the corner towards Eden and Liara. They had returned to eating. She sits next to Liara as she calmly watches Eden eating. "Shepard. You're finished with your mission already?" Liara asks with a smile and Shepard smiles back with a nod.

"So…" Shepard starts as she looks at Eden, then back to Liara. "How has your day been?"

"Good." Liara says as she focuses her attention on Shepard. "My agents still have't found a trace of any hostilities in or around the Terminus Systems." Liara explains and sighs. "Perhaps we should be looking into Council space, or Alliance Space."

"You know we can't." Shepard says, gritting her teeth. "Even with my Spectre status, I wasn't able to get approval to search there."

"Surely, there must be something—" Liara was interrupted by the sound of eerie quietness. Strange. She looks to where Eden was sitting and sighs. She was gone.

"Where did she go?" Shepard asks, also seeming to have not seen or heard Eden leave the table. They both quickly stand up and turn around. "What the hell? How did she just disappear?"

"She's become quite skilled at that." Liara says, remembering the past week. Eden had a habit of getting up and walking away after eating.

After having searched all over the crew deck, they're left dumbfounded. Eden had managed to go to another floor, unnoticed. Shepard raises a hand to her personal com. "Joker, check the surveillance feeds. Eden's missing."

"On it." Joker says and, after a moment, he laughs.

"What is it, Joker?" Shepard asks.

"Eden's down in Engineering." He says and nearly barks a laugh. "You should probably get down there before she drives Tali insane."

With that, the two new parents rush to the elevator to rescue their friend from their daughter.

When they reach the engineering deck, they immediately hear laughing from the crew and a completely unamused Tali. "Don't touch that!" Tali shouts and they hear a slap, followed by a quiet groan from Eden. They hurry to the sounds and stop, dumbfounded at the sight of Eden curiously looking down at a console while rubbing the back of a hand. "Don't touch anything." Tali warns and Eden nods as she tries not to look at her.

"What's going on down here?" Shepard asks with a slight amused chuckle.

"Your bosh'tet has been pressing nearly every key on these control panels." Tali says as she continues to watch Eden examine the console. "Please tell her to stop."

"Eden, that's enough." Shepard says and Eden looks up at her. "You need to stop."

"The Normandy was in distress." Eden says and the giggling behind them stops. "I was trying to help."

"What?" Shepard asks and looks at everyone around them. They all shrug, dumbfounded. "Eden, the Normandy is fine. These people here work every day to make sure the ship runs correctly."

"What made you believe the ship was in distress?" Liara asks, curious to know if Eden's mental prowess goes beyond comprehension of reading material.

"I heard it." Eden says and touches the side of the console, then quickly draws back as she remembers Tali slapping her hand away. "There was an uncalculated error, causing a very brief turbulence within the drive core. I wanted to neutralize it, but I do not understand this technology."

"What? Error?" Tali asks with disbelief. After considering it, she turns to the console, typing into the control panel. "Keelah…" Tali breathes and sees some panels blinking red. "…she was right." She says and continues to type, then the red returns to its original orange glow. Shepard's jaw slacks open and nearly drops as Eden looks at Tali. "How did you know? What experience do you have?"

"As I said, I do not understand this technology." Eden innocently says. "I imagine that you might not have noticed this error because of its frequency. It seemed…strange."

"How so?" Tali asks as Liara and Shepard look at each other with disbelief. Eden seemed to have a talent for technology.

"It was strange because it was only a fraction away from being corrected." Eden explains and Tali gives a laugh in disbelief.

"And you heard it?" Tali asks and Eden nods. "A calculation error was audible?"

"I am still new to this ship. I noticed a slight vibration within the hull." Eden explains. "I originally thought that we simply entered FTL travel, so I waited. The next vibration caused a burst of static electricity. I heard it."

"You heard the drive core from the Mess?" Shepard asks and Eden looks at her, then she nods.

"Yes." Eden replies. "It sounded different than usual."

"How do you 'hear' the drive core?" Shepard asks and Eden holds out a hand.

"Let me show you." Eden says and Shepard cautiously grabs her hand. She quietly guides her towards the drive core. The crew, Liara, and Tali watch closely from behind—being cautious of Eden. Eden drops Shepard's hand onto the railing. "Now, close your eyes." She says softly. Shepard cautiously does just that. She was surprised that she felt so comfortable with her daughter. She trusted her for this moment. "Quiet." Eden says and the room goes silent. The only sound in the room was the hum of the drive core. It was a gentle hum, with a hint of static. "Do you hear it?"

"You mean the static?" Shepard asks as she opens her eyes and Eden nods with a small smile. "You heard this from up in the Mess?"

"Yes." Eden says. "Although it was much louder, but only briefly."

"How were you able to recognize a calculation error from a noise?" Tali asks as she walks up to the two. Eden looks nervous and looks slightly away.

"I do not know how. I just did." Eden responds defensively. Shepard sees the look of shame in Eden's face and sighs.

"I don't believe you." Tali presses and Eden tries to say something, but stops.

"That's enough, you two." Shepard says and pats Eden on the back. Eden looks at her, cautiously. It was obvious how unfamiliar Eden was in social situations. Especially confrontations. "Everyone, get back to work." She says to the crew, and waits for them to return to work. Then, she looks at Eden. "Next time you 'hear' a calculation error in the drive core, tell either Liara or me. Don't wander off on your own."

"Yes, Commander Shepard." Eden says with a nod of agreement. Shepard cringes at the sound of her daughter calling her "Commander".

"Eden, I'm not your commander. Call me Shepard." She says and Eden looks uncomfortable. "Is it really that hard?" She smirks when Eden looks away.

"You are Commander Shepard. Are you not?" Eden mumbles.

"I am, but to you I'm just Shepard." She replies.

"No, you are Commander Shepard." Eden says and Shepard frowns.

"She will understand in time, Shepard." Liara smiles as Shepard guides them out of Engineering and onto the elevator.

"I hope you're right." Shepard replies as she watches Eden looking through the glass at the cargo bay with curiosity.

The next time Eden goes missing, Shepard was sure she would find her there.


	4. Chapter 4: Escape Artist

**A/N: Sorry for the long chapter. I thought it would be best to keep this chapter written lengthily like it is for context.**

 **1: I appreciate the feedback I've gotten so far (as of Jan. 17, 2017). Chapter 3 had to be the way it was, and yes I know it seemed to be oddly paced. I didn't want to give away too much while still dropping** _ **big**_ **hints to the plot. Hopefully my 'new' formatting works to help pace this story…a little better.**

 **2: This is a time jump. So, keep in mind that it has been effectively** _ **one month**_ **and** _ **one week**_ **since Eden boarded the Normandy. She's kind of considered as a crew member, but not really. This chapter will highlight that.**

 **3: Also, Shepard's name will be revealed. Full name/psych profile at the end.**

 **I know it isn't clear if Eden accepts being Shepard and Liara's daughter just yet, so hopefully this chapter will clear that up...somewhat. Also starting to get into the history of what happened to (some of) the crew after the war.**

 **With all that being said, enjoy! ^_^**

 **-Eddy**

Chapter 4: Escape Artist

The day started out oddly.

Shepard and Liara were in the Captain's cabin, discussing Eden. Both were sitting down on the edge of the bed—both were a bit agitated.

"It's been over a month since Eden got here and we still don't know anything." Shepard says in her frustration. "About her, where she came from, why the mercs were after her…hell, we don't even know her real name."

"Shepard—Ally, please calm down." Liara says, trying to soothe Shepard's frustration while slowly stroking her back. "We have time. She will tell us when she knows."

"How can you be so sure?" Shepard asks, nearly pouting. "Liara, she won't even look at me in the eye, let alone talk to me."

"After what happened last week, I'm surprised she isn't hiding in a corner." Liara jokes with a sly smile and Shepard rolls her eyes, remembering the ordeal. After trying tirelessly to get Eden to call her "Shepard", she snapped at the poor girl. Eden has been frightened of her for days now. "We're all new to her and she's still new to us. Give her the time to accept us."

"What if that never happens? What then?" Shepard asks, desperate for a clear answer.

"For that, I cannot say." Liara says and Shepard sighs in defeat. "She is our daughter, Ally. We need to be patient."

"We?" Shepard smirks with a bit of arrogance. "It bothers you that she still won't say your name too? Gee, and here I thought I was the only one who felt that way." Liara rolls her eyes at the sarcastic comment.

"Yes, but also I understand that she's not doing it to spite us."

"Why is that?"

"She's intimidated by us." Liara answers and Shepard smiles with a nod.

"Yeah. I noticed." Shepard says and Liara gives her an expectant stare. "What?" She whines. Liara gives her a half-smile. "Okay, fine. I get it, Li." She pulls Liara in for a brief kiss. "Patience. Shouldn't be too hard."

-XXXXXXXXXX-

…

 _The light was brightly shining down on her. She could hear a muffled voice of a man above her, but she wouldn't dare to look anywhere but up at the lights. "Brain waves are normalizing. Prepare the sedative." The voice commands. Her breath quickens with panic as she can hear the sound of a heartrate monitor echo through the white room. "She's not supposed to be coherent yet! Sedate her now!" She hears the man continuing to command. Then, she sees the doctor slowly moving into view—staring down at her with his mouth and the top of his head covered. He seemed to be glaring at her, but focused on something slightly above her eyes._

 _Her breathing slows as she feels her body calm slightly. Everything starts to fog into a white blur, until—_

 _She's suddenly standing in dirt. A field of some sort. The brown sand had coated her white clothing and black boots. She hears a vicious snarl as her pulse quickens with fearful anticipation. A crowd of people shout and speak words she could not understand. When she looks up, the only thing she could see was a rabid blue striped varren pouncing towards her. It strikes at her, she blocks it with her arm, but it hangs on. The horror of the varren viciously pulling at her arm with its teeth sends her into a frenzy. Her body glows a bright blue and throws the beast away from her in a blue aura._

 _The varren is only stunned for a moment until it springs back into action. Just before it can reach her with its fangs, she feels her body react with a blue glow that carries her quickly to the side—_

…

Eden wakes up to the feeling of impact to her head and face. She raises a hand to rub the sore spot and stops when she sees the darkened space glowing blue. She stares down at one of her glowing hands with curiosity. "Biotics?" She asks nothing as her body's light gradually dims. "Strange." She states and sees something dark fall into her hand. A drop of blood. She quickly covers her mouth and pulls back as she feels a sting on the corner of her mouth. A small amount of blood lingered in her palm.

She looks all around her. The cabin was darkened, with the only light being the red glow on the door. She looks out in front of her, eyes wide as she realizes what she hit. The hardened couch armrest. She sighs painfully as she remembers her biotics.

"Miss Eden, I sense you are awake." Glyph states as his orb glides through the room. "Shall I turn on the lights?"

"Yes, Glyph." Eden says, trying not to vocally cringe at the slight throb of her head and mouth.

When the lights turn on, Eden stands up with the help of the couch armrest in front of her as she continues to cover her mouth—not in too much pain, but it was an injury she needed to have checked out by the doctor.

"Miss Eden, Dr. T'Soni has requested that you stay in here for the time being."

"I'm sorry, Glyph." Eden says. "I need to see Dr. Chakwas."

"Forwarding your request to Dr. T'Soni." Glyph says and the reddened locked door turns green. "She requests that you stay with Dr. Chakwas until she comes to greet you."

"Thank you, Glyph." Eden smiles behind her hand at the info drone as it whistles happily. Then, she quickly makes her way to the Med-Bay.

On the way, she notes the cautious stares of the crewmen. It might have just been because her shirt had a bloodstain on it from the wound on her face, but she genuinely thought they were cold stares. The crew hadn't fully accepted her, but she had no choice but to adapt to the atmosphere—no matter how foreign and difficult it was for her.

When she enters the Med-Bay, she sees Dr. Chakwas calmly sitting at her desk. "Dr. Chakwas?" Eden asks to get her attention. The doctor looks at her and instantly stands to greet her.

"What happened?" She sounds nearly disappointed, Eden noted. The doctor wasn't a bad person, but she couldn't help but think about the doctors from her nightmares when she saw the woman.

"I fell." Eden says and the doctor laughs in disbelief.

"Come have a seat, my dear." Dr. Chakwas says and guides Eden across the room to an examination table. "So, what did you fall on?"

"A couch." Eden responds and remembers her position after she woke up. "An armrest of a couch." She corrects.

"Some force was required to get this injury, Eden. What happened?" The doctor says as she gathers her tools, preparing to give Eden stitches if needed.

"I don't know." She lies and the doctor sighs with disappointment.

"Let me see the damage." Dr. Chakwas says and Eden lowers her hand. As she thought, the cut was deep enough to need stitches, though not cutting into Eden's mouth, thankfully, but it even stretched down almost to the end her chin. "Looks like this couch can bite back." She remarks as she lifts up a weak numbing shot to the young human's face, just to the side of the affected area. The doctor noted that Eden looked surprisingly calm for such an act—or she was so petrified that she was frozen. When it came time for her to stitch the wound, however, it was humbling to see Eden shut her eyes in nervous anticipation. She was frightened. "Fear of needles, I see." She says as Eden focuses on keeping her head still. "Thought so."

The doctor was nearly finished when Liara and Shepard barged into the Med-Bay. "Hold still, almost done." Dr. Chakwas says as the two parents walk up to her.

"What happened?" Liara asks as she notices the doctor stitching Eden's chin. The stitches were so well-placed that it only left a small streak of red where the cut had been made, but it was still barely noticeable.

The doctor ignores the question to regard her patient. "You will have to wait to eat for another three hours, I'm afraid." She says as Shepard studies Eden's facial expressions. She looked tired, and her clothes were slightly damp-looking. She obviously had just woken up, also considering the lack of shoes on her feet. "I know you might want to speak with her, but she will not be able for some time due to the numbing agent." Then, she chuckles slightly. "If she does manage to speak, it will only be incoherent mumbling."

"We can still ask yes or no questions." Shepard remarks and is greeted by a slight laugh from the doctor—just as she finishes stitching Eden's injury. When the doctor backs away, Eden slowly opens her eyes.

As Eden raises a hand to her mouth, the doctor pulls the hand down. "No touching." Dr. Chakwas says firmly. "It shouldn't scar, but you will need to keep your hands off it. Understand?" Eden replies with an agreeing nod. The doctor smiles. "Good."

"What happened?" Liara repeats her question as Eden and the doctor look at her.

"She bit a couch that bit back, it seems." The doctor laughs at the well-thought metaphor.

"How did that happen?" Shepard asks.

"I don't know, Allison. She wouldn't tell me." The doctor says, somberly. Shepard catches the sight of Eden looking confused and curious.

"My name is Allison. Allison Shepard." Shepard clarifies and Eden looks away slightly. Shepard quietly searches for emotion in Eden's face and saw a small half-smile.

"Did you sleep well?" Liara asks and Eden's smile fades slightly. The two parents cautiously approach their daughter. Eden avoids looking at them.

"Bad dream?" Shepard asks and Eden nods slightly before standing up, still avoiding meeting Shepard's eyes. "Later, will you talk to us about it?" She asks as calmly as she could. Eden shakes her head "no". "Fine."

"At least she's honest." The doctor chimes in.

Eden eyes her hand as she remembers the glow. She thought it was strange because of the control she had over it—or rather, the lack of control she had. "Something wrong?" Shepard asks and Eden lowers her hand, then shakes her head "no".

"Eden?" Liara asks and Eden quickly looks at her. Liara smiles as Shepard scowls with jealousy. "Go have a rest in the room. I'll be there after a few minutes." She says and Eden nods with a half-smile. Eden had come to respect the asari and seemed to be the most comfortable with her.

"I'll see you later, kid." Shepard says and Eden's smile fades slightly. Shepard looks slightly worried as Eden's eyes widen. She tries reaching out to try to comfort the young human, but Eden pulls away with her biotics—hitting a bed with her back. The impact startles her, because the use of her biotics was involuntary. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt y—" Before she could say anything more, Eden was running out of the med-bay in a clumsy haste. "Damnit." She says in defeat and runs her fingers through her hair with frustration.

"I suggest you try to be a little less 'hands-on', if you know what I mean, Commander." The doctor remarks and Shepard rolls her eyes as she makes her way to the door. "You might avoid a potential hazard that way."

"Very funny, doc." Shepard scowls and makes her way out of the room, leaving Liara behind with the doctor. She had made it outside in time to see Eden make it half-way Liara's cabin, stumbling over as she did so. The young human was clumsy, she noted.

Eden was running so fast that she nearly tripped over herself—not to mention she almost ran into a few crewmen along the way. The sight had made the crewmen look back at their commander with a questioning gaze. Shepard just shakes her head with slight amusement before walking to the elevator.

-XXXXXXXXXX-

When she finally reaches the inside of Liara's cabin, Eden doesn't stop walking until she reaches the bed to catch her breath. She couldn't help but fear Commander Shepard.

Just last week, the woman had nearly pinned her against the hull as she yelled at her. She couldn't understand what the reason was for the Commander to be angry with her.

She knew the woman wanted her to say her name, but that name was frightening to say without a rank to represent it.

She remembers a story she read from a data pad about the war with the Reapers and how the Great Commander Shepard destroyed a race of sentient beings in order to save the galaxy. However, it seemed like calling Commander Shepard "Shepard" would be too informal to such a great war hero. She couldn't understand why the commander hadn't wanted to be called "commander" by her when everyone else—excluding a few crewmen—still regarded her as Commander Shepard.

Why would the commander allow her of all people to refer to her in such an informal way? She wondered. They hadn't known each other for long and they barely saw each other on a daily basis.

Despite her fear and uncertainty of Commander Shepard, she was surprisingly thankful to learn something new about the woman. Her name. "Allison. Allison Shepard." She mumbles to herself in a near whisper and smiles bashfully.

She admits that the name suited the woman, and that she still wouldn't dare to say it to anyone.

-XXXXXXXXXX-

Liara was talking to Dr. Chakwas about something that had just occurred to her. "Perhaps she's new to her biotics." Dr. Chakwas says. "But, I agree. It is worrisome, considering what might have occurred this morning." She sighs. "Unfortunately, we won't know for certain until Eden tells us about it."

"Asari learn how to control their biotics from a young age, Karin. I was thinking that, considering that Eden also shares my DNA, that she should train her biotics regardless of her current understanding of them." Liara says and sits across from the doctor on one of the beds.

"I'm sure it would do no harm, however, we don't even know if she truly is unaccustomed to her biotics, let alone what she might be capable of."

"Are you suggesting that she is a danger to the crew?" Liara nearly fumes with her anger. She had no reason to believe that Eden was anything other than just misunderstood. Eden wasn't dangerous, in fact, Liara could tell that Eden was afraid of the Normandy's crew. Especially Shepard. Who knows if Eden truly believes that she's safe on the Normandy?

"Unfortunately, Liara, Eden is still an unknown." The doctor explains with a cautious tone of voice. She could tell that Liara was fuming by now. "We just need to be cautious about handing a potential threat a weapon of which is nearly impossible to conceal."

"Karin, I don't believe that Eden is dangerous to anyone." Liara says strongly. "If her biotics are untrained, she could be a danger to herself more than anyone else."

"I'm sure Allison would agree, however…" She chooses her words carefully. "…we would still need the support of ALL crew members, not just the three of us."

"Three?" Liara asks, surprised.

"I agree with you on this matter. Eden needs training and to be able to roam the ship freely without the crewmen giving her the stink-eye." The doctor says and smiles. "She shouldn't have to be hold up in your cabin all day. She might even feel less like a prisoner and more like a normal person that way."

"You think that she feels that way?" Liara asks, now worried about mistreating her daughter.

"It's quite possible." The doctor says. "She wouldn't have to attempt to escape so often otherwise."

-XXXXXXXXXX-

Standing by the bed facing the door, still looking down at her hand, Eden thinks about her biotics. As she focuses on her hand, she watches it light up slowly. "Strange." She mumbles as the glow becomes brighter. The well-lit room nearly drowned out its brilliant glow, but Eden could still see some sparks of blue creating an aura around her arms.

The sound of the door opening startles her and causes her to swing her hand down. A bolt of light blue shoots out of her palm as she does so. She hears a crash and looks up to see Liara slumped over next to a crate. Her eyes widen with fear and she runs to Liara's side. She drops down onto her knees as her body struggles to lose the blue glow. She gently places a hand on Liara's cheek as she tries to look into her eyes.

Liara had blacked out, but only briefly. When she opens her eyes, she sees Eden sitting slightly above her with wide, worried eyes. "Eden?" She asks and notices one of Eden's hands pull away from her.

"I'm…sorry." Eden says, teary-eyed. "I didn't…" She stutters with a shudder of fear and Liara pulls her into a hug.

"It's all right." Liara says in a calm voice. "You didn't hurt me." She says, feeling a slight bump forming on her head, but she was fine otherwise. Eden pulls away from her with a nearly stoic expression—still looking worried—then, she stands up and holds out a hand. Liara grabs it with a calm smile. Eden pulls her up with a strength that was almost surprising.

Once she was finally upright and not swaying from dizziness, Liara walks towards the end of the room. The bed hadn't been made yet and Eden had a change of clothes laid out. She noted that one of the nightstands had been moved slightly out of place and the couch was tilted inward—probably from whatever happened earlier. "Go ahead and get dressed. I'll clean up in here." Liara says, not wanting to press the matter further in fear that Eden might close herself off again. Eden nods and quietly grabs the clothes, then she stands on the other side of the room with her back to Liara.

As she fixes the positions of the furniture, she periodically looks towards Eden. She hears slight mumbling from the young human, but can't make out any words. With the furniture straightened, Liara moves to the bed. As she makes the bed, she sees Eden pause with her shirt off. She notes that Eden was slender and the red stripe that started at the corner of her eye trails behind her ear, past her neck, down her spine, then disappears at her waistline. Could it be a birthmark? Shaking herself aware of her current task, Liara continues to make the bed. While she tugs at a corner of the neat bedsheet, she hears Eden mumble, "…varren…"

Just before Liara finishes making the bed, she notices Eden—now fully clothed—tracing her fingers over a scar on the back of her forearm. The scar was of a seemingly four clawed scratch, likely from blocking a beast's blow, and it looked deep. "Dr. T'Soni." Glyph says and Liara starts walking to the Shadow Broker terminal, stopping in front of the glowing orb. "Agent Feron requests to speak with you." Liara looks back to Eden, quickly slipping her shoes on.

"Hold the call, Glyph. Tell Feron I will speak to him in a minute." Liara says as she looks back at the info drone.

"Sending your message now." Glyph says. After a moment, Liara hears Eden walking towards her. "Dr. T'Soni. Agent Feron insists that it is urgent." Liara turns to Eden and raises a hand to her personal com.

"Garrus, could you watch Eden for me?" Liara asks into her com.

"Sure thing. I'll be there in a sec." Garrus says and Liara smiles at Eden.

"Eden, Garrus will look after you for a bit while I take this call." Liara says and opens the door. "I'll come to get you when I'm done. Okay?" She says and Eden nods before walking out the door. Just before the door closes, Liara sees Garrus greet Eden.

"Patch him through, Glyph." Liara says as she locks the door.

-XXXXXXXXXXX-

Garrus walks with Eden. The human seemed nervous, he noted. "So, uh—" He starts and clears his throat. "That's a nasty cut you got there." He says and laughs airily at the awkward start. "How did that happen?" He continues as they reach the Main Battery. Garrus stops in front of the main console and turns to face Eden, expecting...at least some kind of an answer to his question.

"I fell." Eden says, nearly mumbling through her numbed mouth. Garrus's mandibles twitch involuntarily with disbelief. Apparently, Eden doesn't quite catch the meaning of his expectant stare. Instead, she looks curiously at his face. This is one of several times she's had a close view of the turian, but she acts as if she were studying him. "I…had a bad dream." She says, finally able to tell that the turian wanted a clear answer.

"So, you fell out of bed?" He asks and Eden nods. "So, what did you fall on? A nightstand, table—"

"A couch." Eden admits and Garrus's mandibles twitch involuntarily with shock. Then, he starts laughing.

Eden looks confused at what the turian is laughing about, then he stops to clear his throat. "Sorry, I was just thinking that you're as clumsy as your mother." He says as he remembers hearing how Shepard fell through a fish tank towards the end of the war. It seemed to be a similarly unbelievable tale. Eden tilts her head slightly with confusion.

"But, I don't have a mother." Eden says and Garrus looks lost for words.

"You don't seriously believe that, do you?" He asks, the shock in his voice creating a slightly high pitch to contrast its natural low undertone. To his surprise, Eden nods a "yes" to his question—as if it were something obvious.

"Look, I know this probably isn't my place to say this…" Garrus starts as he watches Eden curiously looking around the room. "This must be new territory for you, but Shepard and Liara are your parents. You're going to have to accept them one of these days." He says and Eden stops at a table with disassembled sniper rifles. "Believe it or not, this is new territory for them too. Shepard mostly wanted to wait to have children, but…then you came along, and well…" He says as he watches Eden giving the rifle a closer examination. "Hey, are you listening to me?" He asks as he walks to her side. Eden doesn't acknowledge his presence and lifts up a scope. After looking through it, she sets it back down and lifts up the body of the rifle. Seeing the curious look on the human's face, Garrus clears his throat as a new idea presents itself. "Hey, do you like puzzles?" He asks and Eden nods. It's disheartening to know that she had been ignoring him before now. "How about you try to put that together for me?" Eden gives him a half smile and nods with slight enthusiasm. "Great. If you need help, I'll just be over there." He says as he gestures to the main console.

Seeing Eden focus on the task, Garrus quietly returns to work on his calibrations.

-XXXXXXXXXX-

Liara had just finished the call with Feron that managed to last nearly an hour. "Glyph, forward the dossier to Shepard." She says and the drone whistles happily.

"Right away, Dr. T'Soni." Glyph says. Liara sighs as she remembers the call. Feron had news of a few other agents that had been raided by mercenaries. From the report, her first thought was that it was the Blood Pack. However, that thought was quickly shot down by a recount of the incident from a surveillance feed on the frigate her agents used. The mercenaries were all wearing helmets and had humanoid bodies. All were wearing black and red armor. Unfortunately, the only piece of information that they had was the mercenaries were leaving to Tuchanka to celebrate their victory. With what exactly was a mystery. Hopefully Shepard would know what do about it.

With her business taken care of for a while, she starts heading out of her cabin. Suddenly, she's stopped by a breathless Garrus. "Liara." He says, nervously.

"Garrus." Liara says and looks all around them. Surprised to see a certain human was missing. "Where's Eden?"

Garrus gives a nervous laugh as he begins to explain what had happened.

…

 _Garrus had been busy with his calibrations for a while. So, he decides to engage in a short conversation. He had his back turned to Eden as he worked and began to speak. "That sniper rifle and I go way back, kid." He starts as he hears the familiar clicking of the parts together. For all he knew, Eden was standing there placing the pieces together. "Sadly, her rein started and ended on the Citadel. Both were with the company of your mother." He says and chuckles at the memory. "I don't mean to boast—or, maybe I do—but, between your mother and I, I'm the best sharp-shooter. Some people might say I'm even the best in the galaxy." He says with a chuckle. No boasting, huh? He could hear Shepard say back. He waits for some kind of reaction, but instead hears complete silence. He figured it was just out of contemplation. If Eden had tried to make an escape attempt, he would have heard her footsteps or the door swish open. So, he continues his mantra. "If I had a sniper rifle that could punch a good hole through a Reaper, I'd be unstoppable." He remarks with a laugh at the thought. A rifle like that would have been very useful during the war._

 _He clears his throat to clear his thoughts so that he can change the topic. "So, how's that gun coming together?" He asks and, when he's greeted with an eerie silence, his mandibles twitch involuntarily with the realization. He quickly turns to confirm his theory and was instantly disappointed to see that he was right. Eden was gone. "I guess I'm not the best babysitter around. Sadly, I remember Shepard being in the same predicament." He thinks as he walks over to the table, curious to see if she at least put the rifle together. It wasn't a surprise that she did, and even left it laying down on its side so that the familiar etched-in mark "King" was facing upwards. Quickly, he looks all around him and sees the possible escape route. The ducts._

…

"She's one hell of an escape artist." Garrus adds to the story. "I never heard her leave…I also have been looking for her for the past, uh, twenty-five minutes." He says and clears his throat at Liara's expectant stare. "I'm sorry, Liara."

Liara sighs and raises a hand up to her com. "Joker, search the surveillance for Eden. She's missing…again."

"Already found her." Joker says over the com. "She's up here with me." He says, then gives a mock sniff and a slight laugh. "And she _really_ needs a bath, by the way."

-XXXXXXXXXX-

…

Eden had made her way to the cockpit. Before she walks in, she stops in front of the airlock. She thinks about what the outside must look like. From the parts of the ship she has been able to look through a window, she's only seen the stars. She knew that Commander Shepard was out on a mission, probably seeing some kind of foliage, bright skies, and metal buildings. Similar to the pictures that she's seen in the magazines Shepard had given to her. From what she knows about some of the planets, though, the thought that something like foliage still existing after the war was astonishing. From the stories she's read from the war, most planets were destroyed or suffered severe casualties by the time the war was over. She wanted to see those places up close. Just as she raises a hand to a bright button on the side of the door, she stops at the sudden sound of a voice.

"I don't think sending yourself out the airlock is a good idea." Joker chimes in. Eden quickly turns to face him. "Come here." He says, nearly in a whine. Eden slumps her shoulders slightly with defeat and makes her way up to the cockpit. Her eyes didn't reflect it, but she was scared of the pilot. "I'm Jeff, or you can call me Joker if you want—most people do. Anyways, what are you doing up here? I thought you had studying to do today." He says and Eden looks confused. "You also don't look very clean. What happened?"

"I…" Eden says nervously and Joker takes the hint. Eden was flustered and looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Okay, then." He says and motions to a chair next to him. "Have a seat." He says with an inviting smile. Eden's eyes immediately light up and she nods. She quickly sits in the chair next to Joker and waits for him to speak again. "Don't worry, I don't need a co-pilot. This seat has been vacant for some time now."

"You had a co-pilot?" Eden asks, curiously.

"Yes, though…it's been ten years…" He says as he remembers the charming AI. "Her name was EDI. The ship's high-tech AI."

"An AI was your co-pilot?" Eden asks, confused that an AI could sit in a chair.

"Yeah, during the war." Joker answers and sighs. "She was the ship's AI. Annoying as all hell, but we eventually got along. It's not every day that you hear your pilot and co-pilot exchanging jokes. And they call me Joker. EDI was…" He trails off. He hadn't thought about EDI in years. The memory of her was stopping him from making a reference to one of her jokes.

"Jeff?" Eden asks and Joker looks at her.

"Yes?" He responds, half-heartedly remembering when EDI called him by his first name.

"What was this ship like after the war?" Eden asks and Joker sighs.

"To be honest, she never changed…well, not too much anyway." Joker explains as he remembers the day the crucible fired. Councilor Anderson, EDI, Mordin, Thane, Legion, and the geth were the only major casualties by the end of the war. EDI was sitting right next to him when she just shut off. Specialist Traynor did everything she could to try to bring EDI back, but with the firing of the crucible, EDI's core processing died out long before they could get the ship back into the green. EDI was likely the reason the Normandy and her crew survived.

Joker continued to tell Eden the story of how he came to learn that it was Shepard's fault EDI wasn't around now. He originally thought that EDI died from the ship jumping through a damaged relay, but later found out, from Shepard, what really happened. To his surprise, Shepard had come to him and broke down about her guilt. He admitted that, although he genuinely loved the AI, he couldn't stay angry with one of his best friends—who also managed to save trillions of people from the wrath of the Reapers. It took a while, but he eventually forgave Shepard for EDI's death.

Eden was surprised. She learned something else that was new about Commander Shepard. Maybe the woman wasn't as scary and cold-hearted as Eden initially thought. "Was the Normandy the same after the war?" She asks again.

"Well, Eden…" Joker says and smiles bitterly. "…after losing EDI, I'm gonna have to say no."

"Why? EDI was an AI. Couldn't you just build another one?" Eden asks, trying to reason with the choked-up pilot. She felt sorry for the man, but didn't know how to sympathize with him.

"No. Not another EDI." Joker says and grits his teeth. "She might have been an AI, but she had a mind, a body, a…spirit." He says and clears his throat. "She was the Normandy and the Normandy was her. Losing her effected everyone, not just me. Well, everyone except Javik and James." He laughs at the last sentence.

Javik left the Normandy when it was fully repaired and James left to start the N7 program. Javik had returned only briefly later on to write a book with Liara and James is still trying for the rank of being an N7. "The fact that she was an AI didn't matter…she lost her life. Losing someone like that…you can't just move on." He says and looks into Eden's eyes.

"I see." Eden stutters.

"Well, do you have any other fun topics to talk about? Or, are we done with this?" He asks and Eden quickly shakes her head "no"—not wanting to cause any more problems. "Fine by me." He says as he just notices that Eden is covered from head to toe in dirt. He knew she was dirty, but not THIS dirty. It's in her hair, on her clothes, and on her arms. "Oh, Shepard is going to love this! Wait until she sees you like this!" He taunts and Eden looks away with a pained frown.

Shepard would indeed be angry, and she knew it. She wouldn't be surprised if Liara would be just as angry.

Suddenly, they hear a voice through the com system. "Joker, search the surveillance. Eden is missing…again." Liara says and Joker chuckles softly as he stares at the very uncomfortable Eden. "Already did." He says. "She's up here with me." He continues as he mockingly sniffs around the air slightly in front of him and gives a weak laugh. "And she _really_ needs a bath." He finishes and cuts the line. "Well, little miss, just be ready for the storm."

"Storm?" Eden asks, confused at the pilot's metaphor. The pilot replies with a sly smile.

…

Liara and Garrus walk up to the cockpit with a stoic concern written across their faces. Garrus's mandibles twitch involuntarily again as he sees Eden sitting quietly next to Joker. Liara bites her lip to control the bit of anger that was gradually building up. Once she sees the apologetic look in her daughter's eyes—looking at the dirty lap with her hands neatly folded—her anger calms completely. Eden knows that she was in the wrong for escaping from Garrus's watch—she even looked remorseful. "Eden." Liara says and Eden slowly looks up at her with eyes wide with, what looked like, fear and uncertainty. "What made you decide to come up here?"

"I…" Eden stutters and looks away.

"I caught her almost try to open up the airlock. She probably would have gotten herself spaced, had I not decided to play babysitter. You're welcome, by the way." Joker chimes in and turns in his chair to face Liara and Garrus. Eden cringes at the truth in that statement.

"Why would you try to do that?" Garrus asks. "The only thing that would have accomplished would be you, frozen, and spaced."

"Eden…" Liara says and holds out a hand to pull Eden up out of the chair. Instead of taking the hand, Eden raises her arms as if to defend against an attack. The three look at each other, worriedly.

"I'm sorry." Eden stutters. "Please forgive me."

"What was opening the airlock supposed to accomplish?" Garrus rephrases his from behind Liara—genuinely wanting an answer.

"I…wanted to…" Eden says and her voice hitches with a slight pained hiss. "…wanted to see…the outside."

"Space?" Joker asks. "We've got plenty of observation windows."

"No…" Eden stutters. "…outside…off the ship."

"Not happening." Garrus states, frankly, and Liara quickly glares back at him. "What? She's not even allowed to walk alone on the ship. Why would we just let her roam outside the ship?" He explains and Eden lowers her arms to look up at him. "Judging by how many times she's managed to escape from all of our 'careful watch', should we trust her to not do the same groundside?"

"He has a point." Joker says and Liara looks back to Eden. Eden feels a warmth on her chin. She sees Garrus's mandibles twitch while Joker and Liara's mouths gape slightly.

"Goddess." Liara breathes as she sees that Eden's injury had re-opened. Thankfully, it wasn't bleeding nearly as much as it must have been earlier. "We will talk about this later. Right now, we need to get you cleaned and have Dr. Chakwas tend to your wound." Eden lifts a hand to the wound and cringes at the sting. "Come." Liara gestures for Eden to stand, considering that Eden still seems skittish. Eden reluctantly stands up to follow Liara.

-XXXXXXXXXX-

With Eden finally clean and fully clothed, Liara guides her to the Med-Bay. The doctor looked only mildly disappointed as she saw Eden. "Come here." She instructs and Eden does as asked. The doctor guides the young human to an examination bed and sits her down. She quickly examines the wound and sighs. "I'll have to replace the stitching." She says and starts gathering her tools.

Eden still looks slightly panicked, but also stoic. She was in shock from everything that had happened within the past hour.

When the doctor returns, she states, "You're just like your mother."

Eden's eyes widen with curiosity. "Garrus said something similar." She says as Liara and Dr. Chakwas look at each other with small smiles. "He seemed angry…when I told him I didn't have a mother." She says and the lightened mood quickly falls dark again. "I don't understand."

"Shepard and Liara are your parents, my dear." Dr. Chakwas says and pulls out the numbing shot. "I was referring, specifically, to Shepard."

"The commander is not my mother." Eden says, sees Liara and Dr. Chakwas look dumbfounded at her outburst, and instantly looks defeated. "I have…never met my mother."

"Yes you have, although it was only recently." Dr. Chakwas says and Eden looks away. Then, the sudden realization hits the doctor. Oh, that's why. Eden wasn't rejecting her new-found parents, but rather she was hesitant to show affection for them. For reasons still unknown. "Even so, you should at least try to get to know her better. You might find that she is a lot less scary than you think." She continues as she sees Eden's eyes brighten slightly. Eden looks back to her with a shy smile and nods in agreement. Dr. Chakwas and Liara smile with content. "Now, let's fix you up so you can go with your other mother, Liara here, so that you _both_ can get back to work."

-XXXXXXXXXX-

…

 _After Shepard, Tali, and Kaiden returned from their mission that afternoon, Liara had convinced the group that they needed to talk about Eden roaming the ship. It was important that Eden knew that she was considered a welcomed guest, not a prisoner of war._

 _There were objections, but each objection had a simple remedy. Eden was given a personal com and instruction that if she heard someone speak to her, she would answer immediately._

 _To their surprise, they instantly felt Eden become more at ease with being on the ship._

 _While Eden began her exploration of the Normandy, Shepard had decided to give Eden the space she wanted as a way for the younger human to feel more relaxed around her and tried to prevent herself from stalking Eden._

…

It had been an hour since Eden had started her exploration of the ship. She had just made it to a room "Captain's Cabin". This was the last place she hadn't discovered yet.

Without a second thought, she opens the door. Surprisingly, there was no one inside. She eyes the room with curiosity. To the left of the room was a large fish tank—filled with many different species of fish. For a few moments, she lingers there to admire the calm pets. They swim beautifully, she thought.

She turns to get a better view of room. This was obviously someone's living private living space, judging by the openness. It was unlike the crew quarters. She noted, as she saw the bed and a small desk with a bookshelf sitting beside it, that whomever owned this room must be an interesting person.

The books that were neatly kept on the bookshelf were ordered by genre instead of alphabetically. Eden found that curious as she looks through the labels. "Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Horror…" She comes to one that confuses her. It wasn't exactly a genre. "Fairy Tales?" She states as more of a question and she stops reading the labels.

She returns to the upstairs area by the door when she sees a collection of toy space crafts. One of them was painted blue, black, white, and had a name printed on its side. "Normandy SR-2." She says and lays a hand over the small version of the ship she was currently on.

Then, her eyes were fixed on a model of a Reaper. It was labeled "Sovereign". "A…Reaper." She stutters as she studies the figure. She remembers hearing various stories about the war. The thought of numerous beings like this one lurking around the galaxy sends an eerie cold chill down her spine. So, she moves on.

When she looks at the other models, she reads their labels out loud. "Destiny Ascension, Citadel, Turian Frigate, Kodiak…" Then, her gaze falls back onto the Normandy. "So, this is what it looks like." She smiles at the model.

Without saying a word, Shepard had been watching the entire time—having given up on following Eden only a few minutes ago-leaning against the hull with her arms crossed and smiling at the curious human.

"This ship made it through the war." Eden says with a sad smile. Shepard was surprised to hear her daughter speak about the war. "Is the Normandy still the same?" Eden asks and calmly looks over her shoulder at Shepard.

"What?" Shepard asks, surprised that Eden knew that she had been standing there and even more surprised that she wasn't running away.

"Is the Normandy still the same ship from the war?" Eden rephrases her question and looks back at the model. "I heard that it was badly damaged after it landed on a distant planet. The Mass Relays were destroyed after the Reapers perished, and the ship was lost for almost a year."

"When did you first learn about the war?" Shepard asks as the familiar pull in her chest reminds her of the losses suffered during the war.

"Four years ago, I think." Eden responds with a sad smile as she continues to look at the model of the Normandy. "Commander Shepard, Savior of the Galaxy, arrived in London for the final push. Harbinger was looming over the city streets, trying to prevent the hero from performing her duty." She recalls the information as if it were from some kind of comic book or novel. "All marines down, but two. Councilor Anderson and Commander Shepard joined each other under unknown circumstances at the Citadel. There, they met with a crazed man, Jack Harper—formally known to Alliance officials as The Illusive Man." She continues as she removes her gaze from the Normandy to the Citadel and the Crucible. "Commander Shepard shot and killed Jack Harper, while Councilor Anderson lay dead in front of a command console. All in order to fire the Crucible. Allowing for the Commander to save the galaxy."

"How do you know all that?" Shepard asks, curiously, and thankful that Eden didn't know the full story of what really happened.

"This is all I know…from the data pads you gave me." Eden says and smiles sheepishly as Shepard's eyes light up. They've been talking 'normally' and Eden wasn't objecting. "Is the Normandy the same as it was from the war?" She repeats the question.

"Yes. She's the same ship." Shepard says and smirks. Relieved that Eden hasn't started running yet. "But, we've gotten a few upgrades."

"So, the Normandy still looks similar to this one?" Eden points to the model.

"Yes, she does." Shepard smiles. The words sound harsher than she intended when she asks, "Why are you asking about the Normandy?"

For a moment, Eden was silent. Then, she turns to face Shepard. "I asked Jeff about the war and he said the ship wasn't the same after."

"You asked Joker?" Shepard asks, guilty that she knew why he said that, but she was confused at the fact that Eden hadn't asked Liara since she was the most comfortable with her. Joker was a stranger. "What did he say?" She asks, though she knew already.

"He said an AI died. EDI, I think he called it." She says and Shepard cuts her off.

"EDI was an AI, yes, but SHE was a part of the ship." Shepard says and Eden nods.

"I found it odd at first to see the name plaque of EDI on the memorial wall." Eden says and wrings her hands in nervousness. "But, I understand why now." She softly says. "Jeff talked about her vaguely. He explained to me that death, even of an AI, is hard to move on from." She continues and sighs. Shepard could tell that Eden was trying to connect to an emotion, but still not completely able to express it—verbally or physically. "You all cared for her. I just wanted to know if her death affected the ship in any way."

"Yes." Shepard says and Eden looks up at her. "EDI was an important part of the Normandy's crew as well as the ship's AI." She explains as she sees the familiar look of curiosity in Eden's eyes, prompting her to continue. "Joker loved her. When EDI died…the ship felt empty most days." She says, remembering the years without EDI. "She used to speak to us all over the ship. She told really bad jokes, and she was a friend to many of us during the war. We all remember her as not just a part of the Normandy. She was the Normandy."

"Interesting." Eden says and smiles at her.

"What is?"

"Jeff said something similar."

Shepard smiles back as she feels content with the more comfortable Eden seems to be with her. Without thinking, she asks, "Will you call me Shepard now?"

Eden's eyes widen slightly and quickly shakes her head "no".

Shepard just sighs as she forces her smile. _Patience, Shepard_. She thinks to herself. _She'll come around eventually_.

Hopefully.

-XXXXXXXXXX-

 **A/N: At first, I wasn't going to name my Shepard, but I found that it would make this story MUCH more interesting while also providing a much needed element to the story.**

 _ **Allison (Ally) Elise Shepard**_

 _ **Class: Soldier**_

 _ **Psych Profile: Spacer/War Hero, and I have written her character to be somewhat of a Paragade with a special backstory non-canon to ME1-ME3 (her life WAY before ME1).**_

 **The whole "no blue babies right now" thing is her fault. Liara is anxious to have children, but Shepard is apprehensive about starting a family (it may or may not be because of her past)**

 **Hopefully having Eden around will change that…eventually. ;)**

 **-Eddy**


	5. Chapter 5: A Day to Remember

**A/N: Getting into a bit more detail of who Eden is as a character…and introducing another character I made up for the sake of this story (who will be returning as the story progresses).**

 **Also, I apologize for the long wait. There have been many technical difficulties on my end as well as life in general getting in the way of things. I appreciate your patience and, as always, I appreciate any feedback you can give me!**

 **Enjoy! ^_^**

 **-Eddy**

Chapter 5: A Day to Remember

Eden was walking around the Cargo Bay. Onlookers watch her cautiously from afar as she walks to a table holding various weapons. She was curious as to why the crew needed so many firearms. The war was over and she hadn't heard about any new 'problems' in the galaxy. To be honest, there wasn't much 'new' going on in the galaxy at all. The only happenings she was made aware of were about mercenary bands, old and new, surfacing throughout the galaxy. Eden couldn't understand why they needed the Normandy's crew, specifically, to take on these seemingly easy tasks. Surely the Alliance military and the Galactic Council's connections could put a stop to these criminals just as well as Commander Shepard and her crew can.

This strange connection she made only makes her that much more curious.

Thanks to her frequent studies about the galaxy in general, Eden knew about the notorious mercenary bands; Blood Pack, Eclipse, and Blue Suns. Although there were many more new mercenary bands, she could never find out much more than their names. She tried to listen in on the various conversations between the Commander and the crew about mercenaries in general, but nothing had peaked her interest.

She was made to believe that all was well in the galaxy. Or, at least, was trying to be made to believe that the galaxy was peaceful.

Eden knew Commander Shepard and Dr. T'Soni had been shielding her from hearing any known bad news, and she knew it had to be something they feared on a personal level. She wanted to ask what was going on, but she was still frightened of the Commander's temper. So, all she can do now is investigate on her own.

While thinking of where to start her investigation, she stares at the many firearms lined on the table in front of her. Just as she reaches for one of the guns on the table—an assault rifle—she hears someone call her name in her personal com. "Eden?" She immediately notices that it's Dr. T'Soni's voice and quickly raises a hand up to her ear to answer the call.

"Yes?" She answers as she eyes the weapons, cautiously keeping her hands pulled away in case she would be in trouble if she touched them.

Liara sighs with relief. "Where are you?"

"The Cargo Bay." Eden answers and looks all around her. The crew was watching her with cold stares—probably because of her close proximity to the firearms, she noted.

"Do you like it down there?" When Commander Shepard asks, Eden instantly freezes. After a long moment of silence, Eden notices a feint sound of someone clearing their throat. "Eden?"

"Yes?" Eden answers and hears a sigh coming from the Commander. It seemed odd to her that it sounded relieved.

"An ensign told me you were playing with the guns."

"Playing? I don't understand." Eden says. She's never heard that term before.

"Me either."

"Not about the firearms. 'Playing'. What is it?" Eden asks in her curiosity.

"You've never run around with friends or played a game before?" Shepard asks, obviously having a hard time explaining what 'playing' is. "It's something you do, either with someone or something, and most people say it's fun."

"No." Eden answers. "I've never had friends. The doctors never allowed me to meet others who were not doctors. They also never allowed me to go to any places where I could run freely. What is 'fun'?"

"Uh…" Shepard half-heartedly replies. That was a lot to take in all at once. The 'doctors' that Eden sometimes talks about were responsible for not only Eden's lack of knowledge about the galaxy, but the lack of knowledge of what a parent is, what a friend is, what fun is, and how to play. Eden likely grew up in some kind of facility without being allowed to simply be a kid. "Fun is…" She starts to try explaining what it means to have fun. "Fun is…well, it's hard to describe. It's a feeling you get when you enjoy doing something. Usually, you feel that something is fun when you're doing something that, instead of the feeling of 'having' to do it, you want to. It's something that…can make you smile."

"What is fun to you, Commander?" Eden asks and hears an audible cringe through the com. "Do you not have something to do that is fun?"

After a long moment, she hears a soft chuckle from Commander Shepard and a very unamused Dr. T'Soni sighing. "A few things, yes." Commander Shepard answers and Eden hears her quietly apologizing with a slight chuckle. "When you're done checking out the guns, come meet us up in the crew deck."

"Okay." Eden says as she continues studying the form of the assault rifle. It was somewhat bulky in design, it seemed to be a heavy weapon, and it had scratches along the barrel. Etched into the side of the firearm was a mark "N7". Perhaps it has a sentimental value similar to the sniper rifle Garrus had her put together before.

 **-XXXXXXXXXX-**

Shepard, Garrus, and Liara were seated at a table in the Mess Hall discussing an idea Shepard had spontaneously came up with.

"You can't be serious about this, Shepard."

"Oh, but I am."

"She always has the tendency to wander around the ship. Unsupervised. How do we know if she can be trusted to not wander off on her own while groundside?"

"Well, then I guess we'll find that out." Shepard says to a very anxious and wary Garrus. She smirks at the slight nervous twitch of his mandibles. "Don't worry too much about it, Garrus. I'm taking her to a place where she can't get lost."

"It could be good for her to spend time off the ship. She seemed pretty adamant about joining Shepard on her last mission." Liara says to Garrus as she considers the situation. Then she fixes her gaze on Shepard. "With everything that's been going on, my only worry is that you could be putting her in danger."

"Didn't Wrex say something about a strange group of mercs hunting varren and pyjaks?" Garrus inquires.

"Not only varren and pyjacks, but people too." Shepard says. "We won't know why until we reach Tuchanka to investigate, but I want to give Eden the opportunity to see the outdoors before we start looking into it. She might not get another chance for a while during the investigation."

"We could lose the lead on those mercs!" Garrus protests.

"Yeah, well…I have a feeling we already have."

"What do you mean?" Liara inquires and Shepard sighs.

"Wrex mentioned that the mercs haven't been sighted since the second murder, which was about a week ago." Shepard answers and Garrus's mandibles twitch involuntarily with shock, whereas Liara doesn't seem shocked at all. "We spoke in a private com-channel about it. He gave me the 'go-ahead' to do whatever I need to before starting our investigation."

"Does he know about Eden?" Liara asks and Shepard shakes her head.

"No. I'm not even sure I should tell him. I don't want too many people knowing about her." Shepard looks distant for a second before clearing her throat. "Dr. Chakwas said her body is partially synthetic. I don't want people thinking we're housing some super-human. She's already cross-species, but that…"

"Could cause hysteria. I hear you, Shepard." Garrus says. "Which is why we don't want those mercs catching wind of her either. What's stopping them from jumping the Normandy while we're docked? Just like Liara's agents…"

"I'm hoping this trip will satisfy her want to leave the ship. Just…be careful." Liara says and Shepard calmly smiles.

"As long as I'm around, she won't get hurt." Shepard says and notices an eavesdropper across the room. "Eden?" She asks and the person in question cautiously walks into the room. "So, what do you think? How does exploring new ground with me sound?"

Eden's face turns a bright pink. "Off the ship?" She asks and Shepard smiles with a nod. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." Shepard says as Eden looks to Liara for confirmation. When Liara smiles with a slight nod, Eden smiles. "So…"

"I…" Eden starts, but thinks of another way of saying she wants to go. "That…'sounds' like fun." Shepard grins when Garrus's eyes grow wide with a shocked twitch of his mandibles. Liara can't help but to smile wider at Eden's perceptiveness. "Have I misused that term?"

"No." Shepard quickly answers. "It was just…I wasn't expecting you to say that so soon."

"You lost me there." Garrus says with a clearing of his throat.

"Eden doesn't understand what fun means. I tried explaining earlier…" Shepard trails off. "Well, I guess this just gives her an opportunity to experience what fun is first-hand."

"I agree." Liara considers as she thinks about Eden's studies. "Eden is very astute when it comes to her studies. It would be a great opportunity for her to see the galaxy she is learning so much about."

"And, hopefully, it will be fun." Shepard adds with a smile at Eden. "We'll be arriving in about two hours. I've got some gear set out for you, so when we're closer I'll help you put it on."

"Is where we're going dangerous?" Eden curiously inquires.

"No." Shepard replies as more of a hope than an answer. "It's mostly a safety precaution."

"What planet are we going to, exactly?" Garrus asks and Shepard smirks as she crosses her arms as a new thought passes.

"You'll know it when we get there."

"We?"

"I just got a new idea." Shepard's smile widens into a broad grin. "Bring Tali with you." She says and stands up. "I'm going to talk to the doc and Kaiden for a bit." She continues and looks at Liara. "I think you should come too."

"Ally, what are you planning?" Liara inquires as she follows Shepard to the Med Bay.

Eden and Garrus stare awkwardly at each other before parting ways.

 **-XXXXXXXXXX-**

…...

It was the first time Eden can recall seeing the outside of a planet she was on. Bright blue skies. Clear, yet still blue water streams, tall rocky mountains, and the curious small blue creatures with long snouts, long legs, and long tails that her research materials called "pyjacks".

She remembers only glimpses of the landscape but, as she thinks about that time, she can still feel the excitement of stepping outside for the first time.

Although she can't remember much about her time at the facility that Commander Shepard and Liara T'Soni call "Virmire," she vaguely remembers how much trouble she must have gotten into by making that first escape to the outside world. The doctors would have been very angry.

But, why was that an issue? Why wasn't she allowed outside of the facility?

Even Eden doesn't have that answer.

What was ultimately keeping her from living outside of an operation room? Illness? Experimentation?

Or, perhaps, is she just that dangerous? If so, why would Commander Shepard keep her on a military frigate without much restrictions?

The Commander even offered to take her to see a planet—off the ship, not just through a porthole.

…...

Garrus, Liara, and Tali were marveling at the sleeping Eden during the typical hectic driving of Shepard. The tight black suit Eden was wearing didn't seem to hinder how comfortable she looked. "I swear, it had to be you to have a daughter that could sleep through this." Tali remarks and Shepard nearly barks out her laugh. The new rover had improvements from the original Mako, but still seemed to have a problem staying steady. Seeming to be a test, Shepard had made the vehicle leap into an uneasy landing. "Keelah, Shepard!"

Eden didn't even stir in the slightest.

Granted, finally getting the chance to see a planet did make the young human quite excited. Eden even managed to eat human food for a change—something she hadn't shown any particular interest in before—although, it was only a simple energy bar. Perhaps it was to show an appreciation for the human responsible for this outing.

It wasn't until the Mako stops that Eden finally stirs in her sleep. She slowly opens her eyes and rubs at a tired eye. "How can you sleep through all that?" Garrus inquires as Shepard walks towards the hatch, ready to open it. She smirks at Eden.

"It's…" Eden says as she considers her words. The Commander's driving wasn't as bad to her as they made it seem. In fact she felt it was rather-"...relaxing."

It takes a moment for the answer to sink in.

Garrus and Shepard couldn't help but to burst into laughter as Liara and Tali look astonished and amused. Liara was wide-eyed with a hand covering a smile, while Tali sits staring at Eden with wonder. "I don't think that's how I would describe it." Shepard remarks as she gathers herself, calming her laughter. "But, at least someone approves of my driving skills." She looks to the others—now staring at her with slightly narrowed eyes. "What? Maybe I'm not as bad a driver you think I am."

"Shepard, you have never struck me as a 'good' driver." Tali retorts.

"Still, you manage to knock us out by the sheer force of your driving capabilities." Garrus says and Shepard rolls her eyes.

Eden stands up from her seat, after having unhooked her seatbelt. She rests a hand over her blue eye for a second. The group notices this immediately and Shepard walks to her, worried that maybe Garrus wasn't the only one that got struck by the hull of the Mako. "You all right?"

Eden smiles at her as she drops her hand. "I'm fine, Commander." She says and Shepard sighs dejectedly before returning to the door with Eden following close behind.

"You know, hardly anyone calls me by my rank anymore." Shepard calmly says before turning her head slightly to look at Eden. She could tell that Eden wasn't particularly moved by that statement, but still held it with careful consideration.

Hopefully that was enough to get Eden to stop calling her by rank.

"Well, ready to see the great outdoors?" Shepard smirks when she sees Eden's eyes brighten with an eager nod of her head.

The Mako's hatch opens slowly to an almost blinding brightness. As soon as the brightness calms, they all step out of the vehicle.

It was immediate—the brimming smile on Eden's face told the group exactly what she was feeling. She was in awe, staring at everything she could lay her eyes on.

The area of the planet they were now on was all a calm climate of mostly grassy planes, there was a mound that looked to be a small cave, and the tall rounded mountains of the surrounding area made up the home of over a dozen pyjaks. That was just in the direct vicinity of where they were standing. Off in the distance, Eden could see buildings jutting out of the planet's surface as if they arrived at an area purposefully away from the unknown city. She didn't pay too much mind to it, as she was drawn to the calm plane in front of her.

There's still so much to explore, Eden thought, like what lies beyond those mountains. Maybe even the city, if all goes well.

"Why here, of all places, Shepard?" Tali asks as she watches Eden curiously examining the pyjaks. The fabled thieves in one of the children's books she found on the Commander's bookshelf. Eden wondered if they had the same ability to speak.

"I wanted to take her to a zoo, but this is all I could afford." Shepard jests and gains a soft laugh from Liara. "Really, though. I can't take her to a public place and risk her getting ID'd, so this will have to do."

Eden braves a walk closer to the pyjak nest and bends down to one of the curious creatures, who in turn decide to stare at her. So the city is off-limits, she thought.

"Careful, this isn't a petting zoo." Shepard says to warn Eden as she walks towards the nest. A thought crosses her and she snorts. "Wrex would do more than petting."

Eden stares at the pyjak as if she were thinking intently on what to do next. After a moment, she stands up and walks further into the nest towards the small cave-like structure.

"Can't do that at a zoo." Garrus comments as the group stands at a distance away from Eden.

Tali crosses her arms as she silently watches the strange young human bend down again.

"You didn't bring anything they can steal, did you?" Shepard asks and Eden shakes her head. Fully aware of the danger of losing something valuable to the hands of the nefarious pyjacks. However, these seem completely docile—unlike the ones in the story who wore jumpsuits and wielded swords.

Several moments pass as Eden looks as if she's studying something intently. Then, she starts mumbling incoherent words, but seems slightly disappointed. After a moment, Shepard notices a small blue three-fingered hand, hand something to Eden. "Thank you." Eden says with a smile and the group hears a grumble from a pyjack. "Commander." Eden says as she stands up to face the group. Then, with a quick glance at the pyjacks, she starts walking to the group. When she's standing in front of Shepard, she holds out what looks like an OSD. "He was guarding it." She says with a backward glance at the pyjack who had been following behind her.

"You speak Tantalus Drive Core and Pyjack?" Shepard asks rhetorically as she grabs the OSD. "Tell him I said thanks."

"Shepard." Liara sharply whispers with a soft slap on Shepard's arm, to which Shepard just smirks at.

"I think he wants a reward." Eden mumbles as she considers the pyjack. "I don't have anything to give him in return."

The pyjack squeaks in a panic as the ground shakes. "What the—" Garrus says as the pyjacks run in a frenzy.

"Shepard, I've detected seismic tremors in the area. However, they do not seem to be life-threatening." Traynor reports and the group sighs with relief.

"Thanks, Sam." Shepard says into her com. She turns to the group with a smile. "Ready for site 2?"

"Site 2?" Tali inquires and Shepard nods.

"It's a surprise." Shepard says and looks at Eden. "I think you'll like it."

"More than the pyjacks?" Eden asks curiously and Shepard gives her with a wider smile.

"More than the pyjacks."

"Where is it?"

Shepard shakes her head, trying to convey the meaning of a secret. "You'll see it when we get there."

Eden gives her a small smile. "Okay, Comm—Shepard." She stutters when she corrects herself 'Shepard' and considers the pyjacks again as she turns to face them. The pyjacks had retreated into their nest in the small cave.

"Oh?" Shepard asks as she leans in playfully with a hand cupping her ear. The group stops to look at a very flustered Eden. She smirks when she sees Eden's cheeks turn slightly pink. "What was that? Didn't quite catch that."

"I said 'okay'." Eden insists with a hint of an emotion she can't quite connect to.

"I meant after that." Shepard insists and rests a hand on her hip. "You said 'okay…'."

"Commander." Eden fills in the blank and Shepard instantly palms her face with slight irritation.

"I could have sworn you said my last name." Shepard says and Eden smiles at her before they continue walking back to the Mako. She leans in next to Liara. "You heard it too, right, Li?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Commander." Liara feigns innocence with a knowing smirk.

"Not you too." Shepard rolls her eyes. Liara just laughs at her wife's predicament. "I'm onto you, Dr. T'Soni." She returns and is greeted with a smack to the back of her head. "What was that for?"

"That wasn't me." Liara says, serious this time. The two look back at the pyjacks to see one of them getting ready to pelt them with more little stones.

"And this is why Krogan hate pyjacks."

"You didn't give him his reward." Eden says as they get into the Mako. "He's angry."

"No, really?" Shepard says, sarcastically as she closes the hatch—greeted by a soft bang on the other end. "I didn't notice."

"It didn't seem like they were equipped."

"Huh?" Shepard asks, dumbfounded at Eden's observation.

"I didn't see a ship, they didn't have armor or swords."

"Oh." Shepard says and tries desperately to hold in her laughter. Garrus's mandibles twitch involuntarily while Tali and Liara seem very amused as they hold in their laughter. "That's just a story, Eden. Tales of the Little Blue Pirates is just made up. Fiction."

"I see." Eden stutters and smiles with another emotion that she can't quite express. It was a good feeling, as if something needed to be voiced, but had no words. It felt odd to not be able to express this feeling related so closely to happiness.

The sound of everyone else's laughter as Shepard makes her way up to the cockpit tells Eden what she was missing.

It was the expression of laughter.

 **-XXXXX-Somewhere deep within the Terminus Systems-XXXXX-**

In a dimly lit room, with only the lights of various monitors, a man watches as a young woman interacts with the small group of people allied with the Alliance.

"I can almost feel the excitement." He muses. "Every bump, every turn. Every tremble of the vehicle. It must be exhilarating." He chuckles softly. "It's as if I'm there as well. Sitting beside you."

A door behind him swishes open. "Sir, we have good news. Mission success, data stored." A male robotic voice reports. "How do you wish to proceed?"

"That'll be all for now, my child." The man says as he stands to face the humanoid robot. "Return to your post until further instruction."

"As you wish, Father Harper." The humanoid with bright red glowing eyes says before bowing and leaving the room in silence.

The man quietly turns to face the monitors. "How does it feel to be let out of that cage?" He asks the monitor as he watches the people in the vehicle walk out into sunlight. "To finally see the light of day?" He continues as the camera slowly pans the open planes of brightly colored flora. Pinks, yellows, whites—as if straight out of a children's book. Out into the distance is Earthian styled house, complete with a tent, chairs, and a fire pit just off into a safe distance from the house. "To have what I've always wanted?" He continues and rests a hand over the famed woman with red hair smiling back. "And yet still not understand its meaning?"

The camera moves forward again, stopping in front of the smiling woman with red hair. "This is just one of many homes I own, Eden." The woman says. Numbers fly onto the screen as the camera pans the area again as if trying to memorize the exact detail of the surrounding area. Exact colors, exact amounts of flora, even the exact height of the structure in front. The redhead wraps an arm behind the camera as she reaches out of view. The man drops his hand as he hears voices in the background asking for the two to stay still.

"Awe-inspiring, isn't it?" He asks.

Much to his annoyance, the door behind him swishes open again.

"Sir, your hired mercenaries have just returned." The same robotic voice informs.

"Haven't I already instructed you to pay them on return?"

"This is correct. However, they request an audience with you, Father Harper."

With a little more force than necessary, the man presses down on the buttons at the terminal in front of him. His glowing red eyes, along with the humanoid's behind him, reflect back to him through the reflection on the glass before the lights in the room turn on. "Send them in."

"Yes, sir." The door swishes open again as he turns to face the armored group standing in front of him.

"How did it go? I hope you were discrete." The man chides the group.

"It seems we've gained the attention of the Shadow Broker, sir." The leader of the group, an asari, reports. "He sent in his agents to apprehend us. We've received heavy losses on our side."

"It would seem so." The man says with bitterness. "Did you, at least, destroy all evidence?"

"Yes, sir." The asari confirms. "We also managed to secure data logs you might find of interest."

"That will have to do." The man says and tilts his head. "Show me the data you've retrieved."

 **-XXXXX-Back to the outside of Terra Nova-XXXXX-**

"After the war, I was gifted this land for saving it from an asteroid." Shepard recalls the memory as she stands in front of the house. "From here to the pyjacks is my—I mean our—territory."

Eden was speechless as she stares at everything in awe. The weight of the arm across her shoulders is the only thing keeping her from the impulse to give everything a closer look.

"Last I checked, we all went on that mission, but we got jack squat." Garrus chimes in and Shepard chuckles.

"You didn't have to tango through a mine field, Garrus." Shepard jests before sliding her arm off of Eden's shoulders and walking towards the house. "Not that you could."

"Hey, I'm not the one with two left feet here, Shepard." Garrus returns with a motion of his mandibles creating a look similar to a smile.

"Is that what people are referred to when one is…not good at dancing?" Eden inquires and hears the slight chuckle of Liara.

"Yes." Liara confirms, greeted with the slight grumble of Shepard.

"I'm not that bad."

"Yes, you are." Everyone, excluding Eden and Shepard, chimes in unison.

"Let's just get on with party, yeah?" Shepard asks and smirks at everyone's bewilderment. "What? You thought I'd bring us here just to sight-see? Who do you think I am?"

Waiting inside the house was Kaiden and Dr. Chakwas. As soon as they open the door to the house, they're greeted by the smoking smell of barbeque.

"I thought it was time for you to enjoy human cuisine for a change." Shepard smiles at Eden, whose eyes were wide with surprise.

"How goes the tour?" Kaiden chimes in with a calm smile at Eden before turning his gaze back to Shepard. "Seeing the pyjacks first was a good idea, Shepard. The steaks are almost ready."

"Good." Shepard smiles and looks over at Eden, whose taking in the view of the house. Colored walls, wooden floors, and sectioned house as a whole were something completely new to her. "How do you like it?"

Eden lets a smile spread across her face as she begins to memorize the moment. Garrus and Tali sat together at the far end of the large room in cushioned chairs, Liara and Dr. Chakwas sat across from them on a long couch in front of a long table, while she could hear the sizzle and see the steam coming from the kitchen area on the opposite end of the room. The only thing she could manage to say was, "It's not grey."

Shepard examines the awed look in Eden's eyes. "Is that a good thing?"

Eden felt the overwhelming feeling of happiness well up inside her, but failing to do what she thought she should. Explaining in words what she felt seemed to be lost to her, so she just nods.

"Good." Shepard says.

 **-XXXXXXXXXX-**

After the surprisingly satisfying meal and a short recording of the event, Kaiden, Dr. Chakwas, Garrus, and Tali left to go back onto the Normandy. While there was no running around or getting lost to exploring the wide range of land, the experience of friends talking to each other through jokes and remembering memories of the past were fun in Eden's eyes. Boring to some, Eden favored learning and exploration over simply playing a board game—which they did. "Risk: Galaxy Edition," a popular remake of the many versions throughout the galaxy. Eden and Dr. Chakwas played on the same team controlling the Turians, Shepard played as the STG, Garrus played as the Krogan, Liara played as the Quarrians, Tali played as the Volus and Elcor and Kaiden as the Hanar and Drell. Eden didn't quite understand the game, but enjoyed the friendly banter from the people around the table.

Even though this event wasn't fully planned, she had the feeling that it was a necessary endeavor to get to know the Commander more. Shepard briefly talked about the times her and her brother got into trouble for exploring space stations past 'lights out'—whatever that meant—or trying to call a pyjack a pet without her parent's permission. Most of these stories came before she joined the Alliance. The group just patiently listened to her stories as they were told, probably just as curious as Eden was of where the woman came from.

Dr. T'Soni shared similar stories, although most of them were related to her time as an archeologist. It was interesting to know how deeply the asari felt for the Protheans. Most of her troubles were related to overworking or moving her work station farther than where permitted. Even so, the stories were very interesting and Eden enjoyed playing the board game.

Throughout everything, Eden contemplated on how she should feel and what she was feeling. She was happy, yes, but there was something else. It was almost as if she were meant to be there, but it was different. Confused between being grateful and…something else. Another emotion she can't connect to. Something that she needed to feel—but didn't.

The three stand outside of the house as Glyph swirls through the air in front of them. Shepard and Liara stand on either side of Eden as the info drone hovers a ways away from them. "We're getting a picture taken, Eden, so smile." Shepard says as she leans down slightly next to Eden.

Eden smiles as Shepard turns to face Glyph once again. "Thank you, Shepard." Shepard's eyes grow wide with surprise and her mouth gapes slightly as the picture is finally taken.

Eden couldn't quite grasp the meaning of the Commander's surprise, but she understood that she would remember this day with great respect. If the smiles on the two people with her said anything, it was that they felt the same way.

She just didn't know what would come next.

 **-XXXXXXXXXX-**

A/N: Next stop, Tuchanka. ^_^


	6. Chapter 6: Friend or Foe? (Part 1)

Chapter 6: Friend or Foe? (Part 1)

Shepard was standing in front of her desk in the captain's quarters, looking down at the picture in front of her. Everything about the picture made her feel warm-and-fuzzy inside. Uneasy too, with an added queasiness, but that would and SHOULD pass with time.

Their first family picture. Even though Eden probably wouldn't understand for a long time, that's what it was. What it is.

Parenting wasn't exactly first on her immediate check-list for the year, but it will have to be. Even if Shepard herself would rather not. Liara seems more than ready for the commitment, but she's noticed the strain of it all.

If Eden is like anything who she herself was as a child, they were up for one hell of a ride.

Then there was that thing about Eden purposefully refusing to say "Liara" or "Allison," when referring to her two new parents in particular. It was odd, considering she calls everyone else by their first names. Did they catch Eden in her rebellious faze, she wondered. That would more than likely explain Eden's incredible need to leave the ship as well.

Or, perhaps is it just a way of expressing her mistrust in them personally?

Shepard herself had been running through the possibilities of her own mistrust in the younger human. Mostly, it was because everything about Eden screamed "Cerberus" and alarms went off at the first sign of a genetic modification in Karin's detailed reports of Eden's physical exams. But, there was something off. Something so left-field that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Eden wasn't just human, she's also asari. What would Cerberus want with her? Power was too obvious a motive. Even for Cerberus.

No, it had to be something else.

Something they had only just scratched the surface of was finding out about the synthetic pieces in Eden's body. They were barely detected in the body scans Karin ran while Eden was unconscious, but they were there. And they made hardly any sense.

Similar to Shepard's own cybernetic implants, Eden's implants are capable of aiding the regeneration of muscle and skin tissue of, not only ligaments, but organ tissue as well. A biotic implant was present, however it seemed redundant, considering a genetic mutation of being cross-species with asari had created some kind of natural biotic implant at the base of her spine. Just like an asari, Eden could have been a natural biotic. The synthetic parts of Eden's body were closely integrated into her nervous system and seemed to be connected to some neural pathways as well.

Whoever altered Eden's body obviously had an agenda. But, why would someone need to do all of this in the first place? It just makes no sense. There's no war, politics seem tame, and most of the threats the galaxy has seen dealt with the mercenary bands spreading out. Aria T'Loak, the "Queen of Omega" even has seen their threat too miniscule to mess with. Of course, that left the Alliance and Council to take care of it.

And somehow there's a new threat. To make it worse, it's an unknown.

In other words, they still know next to nothing about what these "mercenaries" are searching the galaxy high-and-low for, or why. All they do know is that these mercenaries didn't start coming out of the woodwork until after the Normandy rescued Eden. So, is there a connection, or is it all just a coincidence?

For now Shepard and Liara assume that Eden is innocent, but they can't deny their suspicions. With what little evidence they have, everything is still up in the air. What if Eden really is responsible? What if they're missing something so crucial that's right in front of their eyes? Eden doesn't seem hostile, but could she still turn on them at some point?

With the picture, now neatly placed into a frame and sitting on the desk in front of her, she holds the doctor's reports in-hand. Liara had already read through them at her own terminal and was the one responsible for placing the picture on the desk.

She sighs as she remembers the day before. They were on the ground for three hours in the Mako, all while Eden slept like a rock. Apparently, it was the energy bar she ate that had put her to sleep. Karin confirmed it as some kind of a weird chemical reaction when they had arrived at the safe house on Terra Nova. The pyjacks were a last minute diversion to give Eden the experience of meeting a species outside of the Normandy, but it all worked out. Even that random encrypted OSD Eden rescued from the little blue space monkies was an advantage over the currently anonymous threat they were chasing.

Speaking of pyjacks, it was also heartwarming to find out that Eden actually reads her childrens' books.

Hannah had given them to her as a reminder that it was time to start a family, an incentive given with a warning, "At the rate you're going, I'll be long gone before your first child is born."

Honestly, Shepard couldn't bear the thought of Hannah finding out about Eden. She would more than likely want to throw a big party to celebrate and several pictures would be taken as she smothered her. And she definitely wasn't looking forward to the Shepard family get-together.

She inwardly groans at the thought. Even to Allison, family get-togethers took far too much energy out of her and left her being more thankful watching her family leave her the hell alone. Having a kid in the mix would mean she would actually have to do the one thing she's never felt comfortable with doing: mingling with her father's family. If they heard that her daughter was only half human, they would no doubt talk her ear off about their specism-racism bullshit.

Unfortunately, they had done the same thing at the wedding ceremony.

It was a good thing Hannah was there to shut them the hell up. Luckily, the specism-racism thing was only concentrated on Shepard's father's side of the family.

Joining the Alliance was probably in part of a way for herself away from her family. She supposed her younger brother John would have thought the same…if he were still around today. Which, he would be had she been with him on Torfan to save the day like she had promised.

 _All right, Ally, back on topic…_

She could hear John's voice chiding her about going off on a tangent. "I bet you'd just love this, Johnny." She smiles at the picture. "Pray that I don't turn out to be another Hannah, little brother, and watch over her like I know you will."

Truthfully, she was even surprised that the house on Terra Nova was in such good condition still. Having been vacant for nearly two years already, she expected the house to be covered in dust and grime by now. The paint on the outside of the house wasn't peeling and the grass surrounding the house seemed as green as it always had been when she first saw it.

Looking closer at the picture, she could tell that Eden was very much happy and the day had been a success for what it was. Though, unfortunately, most of it was spent in the new Mako.

Even if it turns out that Eden is some kind of high-tech weapon of mass destruction, this picture will stand as a reminder of what Eden was like as a non-hostile.

It would have all been perfect too, if not for the absolutely STUPID face Allison was making.

 _Damnit, Ally…_

Eden and Liara look pleased with themselves. As if they had planned it, too. All because Eden FINALLY left out her rank out of her name.

Hopefully it sticks.

 **-XXXXXXXXXX-**

In Liara's cabin, Eden is still sleeping. Even as Shepard and Liara finally make their way inside, Eden stays fast asleep. "Well, that's new." Shepard comments as she walks towards the bed. Eden was lying on her back, seeming to be calm as her hands rest across her chest. "What time did she go to bed?"

"Miss Eden retired at 22:45." Glyph informs from across the room.

"Thanks, Glyph." Shepard says to the VI, getting it to beep happily. She turns her gaze to her wife. "Li, I don't think I've ever seen her sleep this long. She's usually awake before us."

Liara gives her a coy smile. "Aw, I don't think I have ever seen you express this much concern over her since she boarded the Normandy. Are you worried?"

Shepard lets out a soft chuckle, consciously trying not to wake Eden. "No. It's just odd to me."

Eden stirs in her sleep, causing the bedsheets to crumple as she grips them tightly into a fist. The two parents watch as Eden's facial muscles contort into what looks like anger. Then, the anger turns to fear as her eyebrows furrow and the corners of her mouth threaten to drop into a frown—but, curiously don't. Eden's hands open as she moves them to her sides. Her chest starts rising and falling as her breath quickens.

As if on instinct, Shepard reaches out and grabs a pale hand to feel a slight tremble come from it. "Eden…" Shepard softly says as she notices the hand squeeze her own. Eden stirs again, this time moving her head—turning to face Shepard and Liara. Shepard sees panic start to contort Eden's features again and gently starts shaking Eden's shoulder to get her to wake up—figuring that waking her up from a nightmare was better than leaving her to go through it. "Eden, wake up."

Suddenly, Eden's body glows a bright blue before she grips her hand tightly around Shepard's. Then, her other hand flies to wrap around Shepard's forearm in a near death-grip. When her eyes open wide, Eden locks eyes with Shepard for a long moment as she catches her breath.

Through the slight bruising on her arm, Shepard maintains eye contact with the fearful kid. When she feels both hands loosen their grip, she almost hisses at the confirmation of the skin damage to her arm. There was, most definitely, a handprint on her forearm.

"Oh, it's you." Eden mumbles as she calmly sits up as if she wasn't just having a nightmare.

Shepard almost laughs at that. "'Morning, sleepyhead."

Eden stares at her in slight confusion before settling with the thought that Shepard just said something that was plainly meaningless nonsense. "Have I overslept, Commander?"

Shepard bites back a groan as she clenches her jaw. _Why is this so fucking hard for you to just say my name?_ She stands as Eden moves to throw her legs off the bed. "A bit, but that's okay." Judging by the glare from the blue eyes of her wife, she said that with slightly more bite than intended. She forces herself to drop the attitude and crosses her arms over her chest as if to put up an invisible wall to keep in the anger radiating off of herself. "We're docking on Tuchanka."

"The krogan home world?" Eden asks and Shepard nods with a smile. Liara confirms with a smile of her own. Eden wanted to ask why, but stays her tongue as she concludes that it must be another job for the Commander.

"We'll be away for at least a few hours. You are to stay on the Normandy until we return." Liara says as she stares into Eden's eyes.

"Of course." Eden says and stands up. The near robotic tone her voice took on shook her parents with an eerie chill. It was clear that Eden hadn't liked the idea of being kept on the ship, when there was a whole world to see.

A world she was clearly interested in seeing.

With a careful eye to her wife, Shepard maintains her stance on the matter. Eden couldn't go out into Tuchanka. Not just to keep her a secret, but to keep her safe. Krogan aren't exactly the friendliest people in the galaxy, and definitely not the most tolerant of people like Eden—new and inexperienced. Not to mention that their keen sense of smell could give her away as a cross-species.

"I know you want to see the world down there, but I promise you will someday." Shepard explains as gently as she can. "Just not today."

"I understand." Eden says with a slight nod of her head as she maintains eye contact with Shepard.

Somehow, that sounded glib rather than understanding.

This was going to be a long day.

 **-XXXXXXXXXX-**

After making sure that Eden was being looked after (to keep her from trying to escape the ship), Shepard, Liara, Garrus, and Tali set out onto the streets of Tuchanka.

Since the war, the krogan have been cultivating and expanding their people. Especially Clan Urdnot.

As the group navigates the cities of Tuchanka, passing metal and stone structures along their way through the bustling city, what is immediately noticeable is the obvious—children.

Lots of krogan children.

They were cute baby turtle-like people after the war, but what they hadn't realized at that time was how rambunctious these little shits could be.

Most of the children around were older and acted similar to a ten year old human child with at least some wits about them, but the little ones…

They flocked.

Slowly trying to climb up stone and metal walls was the first sign of what these kids wanted. A group of five stacked on top of each other's shoulders as they continue to try tearing down barriers that kept them from running into the streets. Krogan mothers shout at their youngsters to behave, while the fathers egg them on to continue.

There are some older krogan children running amok in the streets, antagonizing varren pets, challenging older krogan to duels, and some that just wanted to find a free punching bag to beat up.

Of course, there were some older krogan that actually enjoy seeing this kind of behavior while others silently watch with disapproval. There was even an older krogan allowing a group of children to headbutt him, though they were only tall enough to reach his stomach.

Garrus couldn't help but to let out a snicker as he notices Shepard's obvious itch to get as far away from these kids as she could. He knew she was probably going through her own mantra of prayer that Eden and her future children wouldn't act the same way as these little balls of fury.

Luckily, in Shepard's case, they were fast approaching the turn-off to the Chieftain's Den—Wrex.

 **-XXXXXXXXXX-**

Eden's first tasks of the day—study and research, as Dr. T'Soni had instructed—had apparently been completed for nearly an hour. Shepard, Liara, Garrus, and Tali had only been on Tuchanka for nearly two hours.

Now it was up to the resident Alliance Marine, Major Kaiden Alenko, to do the honors of babysitting the supposed daughter of his respected colleagues and friends—Commander Allison Shepard and Doctor Liara T'Soni.

As he watches the younger 'human', he can't help but wonder just how much of the genetics are truly his friends' DNA. Even Doctor Chakwas confirmed some kind of mechanical influence inside of Eden's body. They seem to be cybernetics, but more intrinsic. They're dialed in to her nervous system somehow.

Just how could that be possible? He wondered.

While lost in his thoughts, Kaiden had unfortunately tuned out the disappearance of the person he was supposed to be watching. He sighs in frustration before raising a hand up to his personal com. "Joker, this is Kaiden. Check the feeds for Eden, I think I've lost her."

"What was that? Did I hear you just say you've lost?" Joker teases.

"The bet wasn't on until Shepard had a kid, and you know it."

"So, what's Eden, huh? Chopped liver?" Kaiden rolls his eyes as Joker continues to tease him. "Hey, you heard her, the whole 'even if she's not blue, she's my daughter' thing. That's one thousand creds, by the way."

"Just tell me where she is."

"Alright…party pooper." Joker grumbles as Kaiden is quickly losing his patience. "Uh…okay, promise you won't string me up a flag pole?...Not that you could find one out here…"

"Where is she?"

Joker says with hesitation, "Not on the ship."

"Damnit…" Kaiden pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Well, I guess that means I'm going groundside." He says as he enters the elevator. He knew every second lost was throwing him off the ship for way longer than he wanted.

As he passes the CIC, Kaiden gives Traynor his orders to add the Normandy's crew to her watch list and heads to the cockpit. "Joker, I'm going out. If I'm not back within an hour, com Shepard. This shouldn't take that long, but I imagine Eden wants to see everything she can before getting caught. If so, this could take a while."

"Yes, sir." Joker says with a salute as Kaiden leaves through the airlock onto the docking station.

 **-XXXXXXXXXX-**

The Krogan home world, Tuchanka, was the most intriguing place Eden could recall seeing. She had to admit, after about thirty minutes of walking around the krogan people, there were a great many people that were a mixture of intimidating and endearing towards her.

Some older male krogan were a bit surly to her, but she seemed to fit in well with the women. Even now, as she stands next to an older krogan and his sister. The female krogan seemed to enjoy her company, saying how surprised she was that a human would visit the krogan home world unattended.

The male krogan, however, was keen on discussing Eden's smell.

Eden hadn't had a personal opinion about her smell, but she was sure that she had bathed. So, she was at least clean. Considering that, she couldn't understand what he meant by his comment of how she 'stinks'.

"Come on, Harl, she's probably just interested in our culture. Why do you have to be such an ass?" The female krogan asks her brother.

"I've never smelled a human with her scent before." Harl defends his opinion. "You can't seriously sit there and tell me you don't smell it too, Rokka."

"You're overreacting." Rokka says, waving him off. "What was your name again, kid?" She asks Eden as sweetly as a krogan could.

"Eden." Eden responds.

"Well, Eden, since you seem so interested…" Harl says and huffs when Rokka elbows into him. "What?"

"You will not be getting this kid into trouble, Harl."

"Who says I can't have some fun?"

"Fun to you usually means varren fighting or pyjack chasing."

"Eden might find that to be just as much fun as I do."

"I highly doubt that, Harl."

The older krogan grumbles unhappily, before stomping off towards a pen. "Baron!" He barks and Eden notices the slightly familiar growl. She almost flinches when the pen's door shakes in its hinges.

"Don't worry. Baron is our family pet." Rokka says in amusement.

Eden just quietly nods in her cautiousness. The nightmare of a varren attacking her had been repeating every night since she had it the first time and the thought of confronting a real varren was frightening.

Harl steps away as the beast is let out of its pen.

Baron, a large varren with white and blue coloring on his neck and down his back, rushes up to Eden.

Eden's body instantly lights up in a dim blue glow. The varren almost decides to make her a target, but Harl stops it with a holographic leash tied around the varren's throat.

"Stop it, you mangy mutt." He restrains the creature before looking up at Eden. "I noticed you have a nasty scar from a varren bite. Don't worry about this guy. He's trained to only attack when being attacked."

"I'm sorry." Eden stutters her apology.

"Nah, it's fine, kid."

Braving a step towards the beast, Eden looks down at it with a small nervous smile. "He's your 'pet'?" She asks the krogan.

"Yup."

"I hadn't known they could be domesticated."

"Yeah, he's the demusti—whatever you just said." Harl huffs in annoyance. "Damn humans and their big words."

"Harl." Roka scolds. "Just think if Khalia were here."

Harl grumbles. "Yeah, sure, whatever." He chuckles. "Big words are her business."

"And she's asari, not human."

"I'm—" Eden tries to start telling them she's half human and half asari, but she stops at the sight of a very stern looking Kaiden Alenko standing a ways away. He crosses his arms with a disapproving scowl. "Sorry."

"Eden." Kaiden says to her. "If you don't come back with me to the Normandy, you're…" His words slow at the krogan starting to tower over him in intimidation.

"And you are?" Rokka asks.

"I'm Eden's ba—" He almost says 'babysitter', but quickly corrects himself. "I'm Eden's chaperone."

"Is this another one of your humans', uh, what'cha'ma'call'it, field trips?" Kahl asks in a more curious, less serious way.

"Commander Shepard is here to speak to Wrex." Kaiden explains. "Eden wasn't supposed to leave the ship in her absence."

"You can't just go keeping a young thing like Eden on a ship and expect her to just obey." Kahl nonchalantly pats Eden's back—causing her to lurch forwards in surprise. "Whatever she is, she's still a kid. Give her some time to stretch her legs or she'll run off again."

"She might run off anyways. Kids do." Rokka says and Harl nods his head in agreement. She backs away from Kaiden, letting him breathe slightly easier. "Whatever the reason, no matter what she is, she needs time away from solitude on a warship. Unless…" She throws a glare Kaiden's way, causing him to grimace. "…there's a damn good reason for her to be hold away on a ship."

Kaiden looks over the group. Kahl still has his hand on Eden's back, the varren is being held by some type of leash, and Rokka is standing just feet away—all giving him expectant looks, except Eden's seems more innocent and confused.

It takes him a moment to assess the damage already done. Eden had already been off the Normandy for over a half hour, spoke to the locals, and got two of such locals to care enough about her to want her off the ship for even longer. She wasn't even given permission, but these krogan…

Not to mention his growing migraine at having to face the wrath of an angry Allison Shepard.

He sighs. "Fine. She can stay out here to…play." He concedes. Eden smiles happily at him as Harl and Rokka step away slightly with krogan grins across their faces. "What did you have in mind?"

The older krogan just laughs before releasing his hold on Eden and using the available hand to whistle. "Come here, pups!"

Kaiden and Eden are immediately awe-stricken at the sight of a small group of young krogan stampeding their way over to them.

 **-XXXXXXXXXX-**

A/N: I apologize for the short chapter, but I figured it was about time to post something. I hope this will satisfy at least a little bit of curiosity as to where I'm taking this story.

Anyway, let me know what you think! I always love hearing from you! ^_^

-Eddy


	7. Update

Hello All,

Even though I'm still struggling at the moment with various things, I hope you're all happy and well wherever you are.

I know it's been a while since the last update, but I just wanted to let everyone still reading and waiting on this fan fiction to know that I'm currently working on an update to all chapters thus far and the new chapter. The updates will fix a lot of glaring mistakes that I just couldn't shake. The chapters will be slightly longer as well, along with better narration overall and plot holes will be filled.

The updated chapters will be out in the coming weeks, so please keep an eye out for them.

Thank you for being patient with me,

Eddy


	8. Update 2

Hello All,

I'm immensely sorry for how long it's been since the last update.

To give you an idea of what I've been doing since, I'll explain to the best of my ability so you can understand.

At the start of 2018, I fell into a deep depression. Because of that, my drive for writing went away. Instead, I focused all of my energy into trying to help myself. I was already on medication at this time, but I fell back into some really bad, unhealthy old habits.

Because of my depression, I didn't want to try to bring up my mood just to get myself to write (even though I still did-not anything I post here though, sorry). So, I thought it would be a great idea to get a new pet to raise my spirits.

Granted, this new pet did manage to pull my focus away from what was "wrong" in my life, but it also ended up not being the best for me. Even though I had exhausted all of the research available to me, this pet became too much for me to handle and I feel very heartbroken over it.

Saying that, since the last update, I've been trying to find a new home for this animal. Until I find a new home for it, I won't be posting for any of my current stories.

This wasn't the news you were hoping for, so I'm sorry. I just wanted to be honest.

Best wishes,

Eddy

P.S. I'll be posting this same update on both "Project Eden" and "When we can be Together". Just a head's up if you have alerts enabled for both.

P.S.S. Let me know what you think about me posting these completed stories I've been working on. Even though they are completely unrelated to any of my other stories. And, before anyone asks, I didn't want to "contaminate" my happier stories with these new ones while I was depressed. So, these stories that I haven't posted are kind of random and/or depressing. But angst is kind of my style on here, isn't it? Should I post them or would that be too much? (1 story for Mass Effect and 1 for Dragon Age: Inquisition, both are semi-SI first-person tragedies)


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